


Red Rose Red and White Rose White

by DarkPhoenixGoddess10



Series: Anne and Richard: Inspired by Fairy Tales [9]
Category: The Sunne in Splendour - Sharon Kay Penman, The White Queen (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Historical, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-31
Updated: 2014-06-01
Packaged: 2018-01-27 18:56:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 27
Words: 39,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1719305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkPhoenixGoddess10/pseuds/DarkPhoenixGoddess10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Commit to nobody until there’s a clear winner, and then choose the winner and give him everything a woman can give. York or Lancaster."</p><p>At fifteen, Lady Anne Neville is eyed by both House of York and House of Lancaster suitable bride to form alliance with her father Earl of Warwick. Edward of Lancaster is the only child of King Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou whose legitimacy is in question. Lord Richard of York is the youngest brother of Edward Duke of York, who is next in line to the throne after Edward of Lancaster. </p><p>Red Rose of Lancaster or White Rose of York - she could be the next Queen of England or a traitor.</p><p>Inspired by "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Dangerous Liaisons"</p><p>For TWQ Big Bang</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part I: Lady Anne Neville

**Author's Note:**

> This is my TWQ Big Bang fic - which means the entire fic will be posted all at once.
> 
> Please leave comments by chapter! I really like to hear what you think of it!

“Open the gate! It’s my Lord Earl of Warwick!”

An esquire rode into the courtyard of Middleham Castle, announcing the return of his lord.

A moment later, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, solemnly rode through the gates. Upon his return, he found his wife Lady Anne Beauchamp greeting him. She dipped into a curtsey and smiled.

“My Lord husband,” she said softly.

Earl of Warwick dismounted his horse and walked straight to his wife.

“Where’s Anne?” He asked.

“She’s with Kathryn,” Lady Warwick replied. “As usual, she’s—“

“Get her back in the castle, now,” Lord Warwick ordered in a rather calm voice. “I need to see her.”

He spoke as a politician, a strategist; not as a father who was longed to see his younger daughter.

***

“Kathryn! Kathryn!” A young, energetic voice called.

“Lady Anne!” The young girl named Kathryn called after the first girl, trying to catch up to her.

Lady Anne Neville, the younger daughter of Lord Warwick, ran up to the hill.

“Be careful my lady!” Kathryn cried out.

Anne laughed at her warning. “I never fall!”

She proudly stood on the top of the hill and watched as Kathryn and her puppy came after her. She smiled at her victory.

“No one in the castle can run as fast as you My Lady,” Kathryn remarked. At seventeen, Kathryn was a lady-in-waiting to Anne; by blood, she was her half-sister—a bastard sired by Lord Warwick and a drunken servant girl. Anne and Kathryn were close, especially after her sister Isabel married George of York, the second son of late Duke of York. “Anne, I think we should head back. I heard the horn. Perhaps my Lord has returned.”

“Nonsense!” Anne dismissed her words. “Father has gone to London and he departed only three weeks ago. He shouldn’t be back this soon.”

She closed her eyes and enjoyed the breeze.

“I have heard something that might interest you,” Kathryn went closer to her and whispered. “It’s about your betrothal.”

“My betrothal?” Anne raised an eyebrow. “To whom?”

Before Kathryn could answer, Anne saw her nanny Alys running up the hill. Catching her breath, she panted, “My little Anne! You must return to the castle quickly! My Lord is asking for you.”

Anne looked at Kathryn. Her father was back.

But why this soon?

***

Anne went back into the castle and changed her dress in haste. Kathryn rearranged her hair and washed her face. Once done, she was like a proper lady and a daughter of Neville. Kathryn carefully observed Anne. She was only fifteen; medium height and slim. Though Anne was not a great beauty, her hair and features did give her fresh prettiness. Born a daughter of Neville and an heiress to the vast Beauchamp estate, she’d be a great catch for any suitor in England even if she were the most hideous creature.

She went into the Great Hall to see her father.

Slowly, she went to him and curtsied deeply. However wild and lively she was outdoor, Anne knew how to tame her energetic behavior when needed.

“Lord Father,” she greeted softly like an obedient daughter.

“Anne,” Lord Warwick rose from his seat. He walked to his younger daughter and tilted her chin to take a good look at her. “How old are you now? Fourteen?”

“Fifteen, father.”

“Fifteen, yes…Isabel married at fifteen to George of York. Now your time has come.”

“Am I to be married?” Anne asked carefully.

“You are,” Lord Warwick said, followed by his coughs.

“Father, are you all right?” Anne asked, concerned.

“I’m fine,” Lord Warwick replied and then turned to face her mother, Countess of Warwick. “The Queen as returned from exile.”

Countess of Warwick gasped. “From France?”

“Yes,” Lord Warwick nodded and closed his eyes in exhaustion. “It appears as she is restored in the King’s favor.”

“And her son?” _Her bastard_.

“His title has yet reinvested, but it is likely to be soon.”

Anne looked at her father. By his demeanor and tone, she already guessed the marriage plan he has for her.

“What is happening now father?”

“The Queen is in London now and reconciled with the King. His Grace the King has publicly announced his son’s legitimacy,” Lord Warwick told her. “The King has made his decision, but…”

Anne shivered at the thought.

The King was known as the Sleeping King; but more accurately, he was a mad king. He spent most of his time sleeping in bed. When awake, his attitude and temper were mercurial. He may have confirmed his son’s legitimacy for now, but one could never know if he’d declare him a bastard again sooner or later.

The King, Henry VI of England, and his Queen Margaret of Anjou had married for many years but only had one child, a boy named Edward. King Henry rarely shown any interest in women; he cared for nothing else aside from the Bible and his iron cross. It was a miracle that the Queen conceived. Rumors had it that the child was not the King’s, but that of Duke of Somerset, the Queen’s close ally. Years ago, when the little prince was only two, King Henry made a sudden outburst that the Queen has betrayed him and the prince was not his son.

Was it an act of madness? Or was it a confession of a dark secret he knew for too long?

Whatever was in his mind, King Henry order the Queen’s arrest and Somerset’s execution. With the assistance of her loyal supporters, Queen Margaret managed to escape to England with her small son in her arms. Duke of Somerset was beheaded.

And thus she was in exile for many years, and her son groomed in the court of France.

“When he left, he was an English child. Now he comes back a French prince,” a bold courtier remarked.

Indeed, he preferred to spell his name and be called “Edouard” rather than Edward.

His position at the court remained a precarious one. Despite the fact his mother was still Queen of England and restored in favor, Edward had yet been reinvested as Prince of Wales. He could be the future King at morrow, but the day after next? What then? A bastard again? Or a traitor?

The King’s mind was so unstable that no one knew.

“There will be a banquet held in London to celebrate the Queen’s return. I believe Anne will need a new dress,” Lord Warwick said.

***

That night, Anne tossed and turned, much to the chagrin of her bedmate Kathryn.

“You are so excited about your betrothal, aren’t you?” Kathryn teased.

“My betrothal?” Anne nearly snorted. Compared to herself, Kathryn was so gullible and myopic. Anne could only guess that she inherited none of her father’s intelligence. “To whom? Father did not tell me anything on that aspect.”

“To Prince Edward of course!”

“Father said nothing as such,” Anne said. “He only said that I am to be married, but he did not say to whom. All we know is that Prince Edward has returned to court with the Queen. Nothing more. My betrothed could be anyone. Perhaps an ally of father’s, or that of the Queen.”

“Do you want to marry Prince Edward?”

“Does it matter?” Anne shook her head. “It hardly matters what I think or want, it’s all up to father. I’m only thankful that my fate is better than that of Lady Margaret Beaufort’s.”

Lady Margaret Beaufort was a Lancastrian heiress, a descendant from the scandalous marriage of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford. At age twelve, she was married to Edmund Tudor. Within less a year, she was widowed but heavily pregnant. She gave birth to a son at tender age of thirteen.

Her story haunted Anne.

***

The next few days, Anne spent her time inside the castle. Her mother and her governess trained and coached her on how to behave and speak in court. Anne was a clever girl, but she was bold, active, and outspoken. Such a behavior was fine at Middleham, but would not be acceptable in court, especially before the eyes of the Queen. Although her husband had yet confirmed her suspicion, the Countess guessed, and hoped, that Anne would be marrying Prince Edward.

King Henry was not only mad; he was weak too.

As soon as he breathed his last, then Prince Edward would likely to be the next King of England.

Lord Warwick and Queen Margaret never saw eye to eye. They were friendly enemies at the very least. However, if Queen Margaret wanted her son to safely ascend the English throne, she’d need support from Warwick. Making his daughter the next Queen of England would be a good, solid bargain.

Perhaps they could bury the hatches.

When Prince Edward was declared illegitimate, Richard Plantagenet, the late Duke of York, was next in line to the throne. His wife, Duchess Dowager of York was also Lord Warwick’s aunt. Once, Lord Warwick had planned to marry his older daughter Isabel to her oldest son Edward. Yet, to his humiliation, Edward already married secretly to an impoverished Lancastrian widow named Lady Elizabeth Woodville Grey. Besotted by her beauty, Edward made her his wife despite of her low status.

Their marriage was a scandalous one. Many believed that Edward fell in love with Elizabeth because of his lust for her beauty. But, Lord Warwick saw it another way. Although a penniless widow, Elizabeth did have a large family who once fight under the banner of King Henry. Had Edward ascend the throne as King Edward IV, he could use the support from her family to stabilize his throne and demonstrate his fairness to both Yorkists and Lancastrians.

That may be politically advantageous for Edward Duke of York, but not so for Lord Warwick.

He was not someone who would relent an inch of his power.

Later, it was through the Duchess Dowager of York, he finally reconciled with York. Seeing the Edward had no son but only daughters with his wife Elizabeth, he married Isabel to his second younger brother George.

For some time, the Countess suspected that it was her husband who initiated the rumors on Prince Edward’s illegitimacy. But like most wives, she never asked.

In her heart, she prayed that her husband would live to see her daughter marry Prince Edward and beget a Lancastrian heir. The King was frail, and so was her husband. Had her husband died before King Henry, then Queen Margaret could highly likely secure a marriage to a French princess for her son.

Anne would never be Queen of England; neither would Isabel.

And the worst outcome—Queen Margaret continued to see the Nevilles and Yorks as threats to her power and eventually had them exiled, imprisoned, or beheaded.

Thus, the Countess wanted nothing more than having Anne catching Prince Edward’s eyes.

***

Anne stood before the mirror as the ladies took her measures. They couldn’t help but remarked how thin she was.

Soon, Anne saw two servants carried a large coffer and sat it down before her.

Her mother the Countess then entered her chamber. As the servants opened the coffer, Anne’s eyes widened as she saw what’s inside: crimson red silk.

Instantly, she understood.

Red rose was the symbol of the Lancastrian family.

Soon, she would enter the court in a crimson red dress to show Queen Margaret the Neville family’s loyalty to her and to the Lancastrian King.


	2. Chapter 2

_Middleham Castle_

Anne watched in the courtyard as coffers loaded onto the litter and horses one by one. Her heart couldn’t stop pounding.

Was it out of excitement or anxiety?

With her cloak on her shoulders, Anne climbed into the litter. She had expected Kathryn to join her, but to her surprise, it was her mother.

The Countess sat next to her as they departed. By her gesture, Anne guessed her mother had something important to tell her.

“What is it, Lady Mother?”

The Countess observed her daughter and smiled, “You are your father’s daughter, Anne.”

Anne smiled back.

“Are you excited to see Isabel again?”

“Of course I do,” Anne replied happily. “Isabel will be there as well?”

“She will be, but you must be careful,” the Countess warned. “She is your sister, but she is also married to York.”

Anne bit her lip. How complex their situation became! Her sister Isabel was married to George, the younger brother of Duke Edward of York. She, the younger Neville heiress, was marrying into the House of Lancaster. Would that make them enemies?

“Lady Mother, Lord Father had told me that I am to be betrothed. Do you know to whom?” Anne asked carefully.

“No,” The Countess sighed as she stroked her daughter’s hair. “I don’t know, neither does your father.” She lowered her voice and explained, “The Queen is now in court and her son has returned with her. His legitimacy is restored, but he has yet reinvested as Prince of Wales. Their status is unstable. The Queen needs your father’s support, and we have everything to gain if you marry Prince Edward. But, what is to happen tomorrow, we can never know. The King, he can declare his son a bastard again. Had that happened, then the Duke of York will be the next line to the throne. By then, your marriage to the Prince Edward…”

She stopped there.

“If I marry Prince Edward, will that make me the next Queen of England?”

“I don’t know.” The Countess said in a very even and cold tone. “And you must not ask that ever again.”

“Yes, Lady Mother.”

A while later, the Countess spoke, “By the time we arrive London, you will see Isabel again. Be tactful, she is your sister but she is also an obedient wife to her husband. York cannot know about your father’s intentions with your marriage plan. Also, the Duke of York is bringing his brothers, George and Richard.” She paused and looked at Anne. “Lord Richard has yet betrothed to anyone and he is only three years older than you.”

Anne nodded.

“Stay away from him,” The Countess instructed. “When you see him, be courteous, but _do not_ speak to him. Your father has already received letters from his mother, your great aunt Cecily, the Dowager Duchess. She has expressed her desire for you to marry her youngest son. The court must not see you together with him, not under the eyes of the Queen.”

“Yes, Lady Mother.”

The Queen hated the Yorks, as did many Lancastrians. King Henry VI only had one son with the Queen; other Lancastrian heirs, the Beauforts, were legitimate but barred from inheriting the throne. Nothing would make the York brothers happier to see Prince Edward remained a bastard and thus making Duke Edward of York the next king. But now, it seemed like the Queen was restored in favor, and in power. The Yorks had to accept that, whether they like it or not. To prove their loyalty, at least for the time being, they came to attend the banquet and pay their respect to the Queen.

If Anne were to marry Lord Richard of York, then Warwick’s power and wealth would eventually falls into the hands of Yorks. The fact that Dowager Duchess Cecily of York was Lord Warwick’s aunt further cemented the possibility of this marriage. But that was the last thing that Margaret of Anjou would want to see.

“Play your role Anne,” her mother said to her before the litter stopped. “You are a Neville heiress, not betrothed to any man, not yet. You are a great candidate, to any prince or nobleman. But no more.”

Anne nodded deeply.

***

Anne and the Countess settled in the Windsor Castle. Lord Warwick had his duties to attend to, but he would join them in London in a few days.

She suppressed her usual activeness and excitement and behaved with modest and demure. She walked slowly and remembered to curtsey. She hardly ever went anywhere alone, always a few steps behind the Countess. She did notice, however, that people in the court were whispering when she walked by.

_The younger Neville daughter…_

_She is only three years younger than Prince Edward…_

_The Queen needs to form an alliance with Warwick…_

_And nothing cements alliances better than marriage…_

The stares and whispers made Anne uncomfortable. She was longing to see a friendly face and she missed Isabel. She craved for the moment to see her sister again.

***

“Your sister is not coming to London,” the Countess told her one day.

“Why?” Anne asked disappointedly.

“Because she is expecting,” the Countess replied.

“That’s great, mother!” Anne said genuinely.

“Yes, hopefully she is more fertile that I am,” the Countess said a little sadly.

Strangely, coming from a fertile family and married into another one, the Countess was not fertile herself. Throughout her marriage, she had only conceived twice. The Dowager Duchess Cecily, known as the “Proud Cis”, had twelve children with seven sons. By far, Duke Edward of York only had three daughters with his wife Elizabeth Woodville, which made George his heir presumptive—for now. Nothing would be more beneficial for Isabel if she were to give birth to a healthy son.

“Will we see the Queen?” Anne asked.

Just then, two guards arrived and announced that the Queen liked to see them. Changed into their best attires, Anne went with her mother to see the Queen.

***

She followed her mother to the Queen’s throne room. She stared down at the floor and dipped into a deep curtsey as they came before the Queen’s presence.

“You may rise,” the Queen said slowly and regally.

“Your Grace,” the Countess said softly.

“Your daughter, Lady Anne, how old is she now?” The Queen asked.

“Fifteen, Your Grace.”

“Come,” the Queen reached out her hand.

Obediently, Anne came forward. The Queen tilted her chin and observed her features.

“I have heard that you are very active,” she commented.

“Yes, Your Grace,” Anne replied.

“Do you like hunting?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Finally, the Queen smiled. “There will be a hunting party tomorrow. My son will be there. It’d be a pleasure if you can join us.”

Anne nodded. “It’d be my pleasure, Your Grace, and I shall join you.”

***

Hunting at the court was not the same as in Middleham. At home, Anne joined her father’s hunting and rode with him. She proved to be a great rider and a hunter.

But, it was not to be in London. Here, all hunters were men. Women—noble ladies—were merely audiences. The only females who joined the hunters were the mistresses to these noblemen. They would ride their lovers after riding behind them on the horsebacks. Anne spotted a beautiful redhead lady flirting with the tall man. That tall man offered to teach her how to use a bow, taking the opportunity to pull her close to him.

Anne looked away.

Reaching her pocket, she took out a gold coin and hid it in her palm. She went to a guard and secretly slipped the gold coin into his hand.

“Prince Edward, which one is he?” She asked secretly.

She never met Prince Edward. To her surprise, Queen Margaret was not present at the hunting.

“The one with the falcon on his arm,” the guard replied and pointed. “Over there.”

Anne turned and looked at the direction he pointed.

There stood a young man of medium height. Dark curls and tight lips, he held out his arm as the falcon landed on him.

“Are you sure?” Anne asked. She had only heard a very vague description on Prince Edward’s looks and character. “He…is so serious…I thought he is more carefree.”

“Well, if he is an English prince, he might well act like one. Here it’s not like the court of France.”

“His hair is darker.”

“All boys grow up with hair darker.”

“Are you sure?” Anne asked again, pointed at the direction he was referring to. “The one with the falcon on his arm?”

She let out a sigh and looked into the sky as pigeons flew by.

“Yes, of course. The one with the falcon.”

Anne looked at the direction he was pointing. That serious young man waited patiently as the falcon flew back onto his arm.

And he looked back at her.

Instantly, she blushed and looked away.

 _So this is Prince Edward,_ Anne thought. _He is so different from what I’ve heard._

***

The chapel was dark and quiet.

Two men knelt in prayer. One was tall and built with fair features; the other one was medium height with dark hair and dark eyes.

“You know that Lady Anne was at the hunting today,” the tall man, Edward Duke of York, muttered to his youngest brother, Lord Richard. The doors were sealed. Duke Edward had informed the priest that he like to pray with his youngest brother for the soul of their brother Edmund, who died from consumption not too long ago.

“I heard.”

“You saw her?”

“I did.”

“How do you find her?” Duke Edward asked, half-teasingly.

Richard did not reply.

“You pulled a scene with Prince Edward today,” Duke Edward changed the subject. “With the falcon.”

“I did not pull any scene,” Richard defended his actions. “The falcon flew to me.”

“If you insist,” Duke Edward laughed. “But be careful with your actions. We are in court and under _her_ watch.”

“She killed our father,” Richard said harshly under breath.

“She may have reconciled with the King, but she cannot stay in power for too long without Warwick on her side,” Duke Edward said in a hush voice. “England will not accept a bastard on the throne, the product of the queen’s adultery with Somerset. And in case if you don’t know, Warwick is ailing.”

Richard raised an eyebrow.

“We will avenge our father, only in the matter of time,” Duke Edward continued. “But to win, we need Warwick on our side. And George is unreliable, you know that.”

“I heard the girl is ambitious,” Richard said evenly. “Like her father, she is willing to reach high.”

“Not if you can change her mind,” Duke Edward smirked. “If Warwick dies today, then we win. He has always been on our side. But if he has Lady Anne married to Prince Edward, then he will live to see his daughter to become Queen of England. George will be safe since he married his older daughter and you know him, prone to change side as much as he changes his clothes. But we will not be safe. _She_ will see that our heads roll.”

Richard closed his eyes and whispered his prayers.

After he finished, the two brothers rose from their knees.

“We don’t have much time left,” Duke Edward said to Richard eagerly. “Warwick is dying. If she loves you—“

“The decision is not hers,” Richard interrupted him. “It’s her father’s, and the Queen’s. Even if she shows interest in me, it’d do no good except for marring her reputation, and mine.”

“Richard, listen to me,” Duke Edward grabbed his shoulders and said insistently. “You are not like me, nor Prince Edward. You are the youngest son of York, and thus you have the option to marry for love. Remember, John of Gaunt married for love and their children were legitimized even though they were born out of wedlock. The Queen is a woman with pride. Lady Anne is not the only candidate of his son’s potential bride. If Lady Anne falls in love with you, with her father’s ill health, she will not be married to Lancaster. Warwick will stay on our side and we will win.”

Richard still had yet to nod or agree.

“I will make you Lord of North,” Duke Edward continued. “You and Lady Anne’s marriage will be acknowledged, even if it is done in secrecy. Your children will be legitimate, even if they are born out of wedlock. By marrying her, you will have support from Warwick’s men and you will inherit the wealth from Beauchamp estate. You have everything to gain. I promise you.”

Richard turned away and stopped for a second.

“A lady from Middleham has informed Lady Mother that the Countess had a crimson dress made for Lady Anne,” he muttered. “And she will wear the dress at the Queen’s banquet.”

Duke Edward smirked.

Richard was his brother after all, in the art of war and art of love.


	3. Chapter 3

_London_

It’s the early bird that catches the worm.

Anne knew how to make her first move.

No, she was not going to wait for the Prince to find her. From the hunting party, she knew who to look for at the Queen’s banquet.

To her surprise, Prince Edward was the completely opposite to what she envisioned. Since he grew up in France, she thought he would be more carefree. Instead, she saw a young man with striking features and a bit too serious. His dark eyes were powerful. When he looked back at her, she could feel his dark eyes penetrating her soul.

His face never left her heart.

For some reason, each time she thought of him, her heart was beating strangely.

No matter how hard she clutched to her rosary or how often she prayed, she could not erase him from her mind. Studying her face in the mirror, she wondered if she’s too thin. The Prince would need heirs to secure his lines. Could she, with that small waist of hers, give him sons, as many as Philippa of Hinault gave King Edward III? Closing her eyes, Anne thought about the Prince. She had seen him pulling a bow, but she had yet seen him on a horse. Anne loved horse riding more than anything. If she were to marry, then hopefully, she’d marry finest horseman in England.

_Does he love horse riding?_

_Does he like to play chess?_

_Does he play lute?_

_Does he like to read?_

Anne had endless questions. Unbeknownst to her, she was giggling.

“Anne, why are you laughing?” Kathryn appeared in the mirror, standing behind her.

“Nothing, Kathryn. It’s nothing.”

***

The banquet was held at the Great Hall of Windsor Castle.

To prepare for this event, Anne stepped into her crimson dress; she stood as the ladies laced her dress and adorned her with jewels. Her hair was plaited into braids with a simple headdress. The color of her dress, crimson, showed loyalty to the Lancastrian King; her jewels reflected the wealth of Nevilles; at the same time, she did not dressed too lavishly. Thus, she would not outshine the Queen.

The Queen would find her satisfying for a daughter-in-law.

Before departing for the banquet, the Countess whispered in her ear, “Remember your role.”

Anne nodded.

Behind her mother, she entered the Great Hall.

Her dress certainly attracted attention.

Soon, the entrance of King Henry and Queen Margaret was announced. All stepped aside as King Henry entered the Great Hall hand-in-hand with the Queen. The King’s eyes lacked of spirit, but he was more lucid compared to his other moments. The Queen was proud as ever. All guests took turn to curtsey, bow, and kiss the hands of the King and Queen. Anne patiently waited for her turn.

Standing before her, the Countess curtsied to the Queen and kissed her hand. Then it was Anne’s turn. For the first time, she touched the Queen’s hand.

It was cold as ice, as was her demeanor.

Anne could only guess that was meaning being a woman wearing a queenly mask.

As soon as the Queen sat in the throne next to her husband, Anne rose along with everyone else. The moment she looked up, she found herself looking at a familiar face.

Those dark eyes…

Prince Edward…but why wasn’t he next to his mother the Queen?

Then Anne remembered his precarious position. He had yet regained his title Prince of Wales yet.

She looked at him again and then looked away as if nothing happened. She joined her mother and other ladies. However, she felt a pair of eyes looking at her. Was that him?

Secretly, she turned and found him standing at the other side of the Great Hall, enjoying a goblet of wine and studying her. He was not smiling.

That made her uncomfortable.

He was more like a predator spotted a prey.

***

When the music played, lords and ladies took their position and danced.

Anne danced gracefully and her steps were gentle and light. As she changed hands and switched partners, she found the Prince dancing next to her.

_Be courteous…but do not speak to him…_

As hard as she tried, Anne found her dance steps become clumsy.

By the time the dance was over, she heard him gently whispered to her, “You dance well.”

His voice made her shiver to the spine.

When they parted, he gently slipped a ring off her finger. Anne did not realize it.

She spent rest of her night staring at the ceiling.

_So he noticed me…and he’s impressed by my dance steps…what’s next…_

***

Lord Warwick arrived days after the banquet. He was beyond exhausted and he could not stop coughing. The Countess was deeply worried. Physicians were called and Lord Warwick was bled. Neither Anne nor Kathryn witnessed his weak condition, however. Lord Warwick was smart enough to guard his ailing health a secret even from his own children. He had a dark sense that death would greet him in a few years. Once the court knew of his dying, then Anne’s marriage…

“My lord husband…” The Countess began.

“Where’s Anne?”

“She went to the chapel to pray with Kathryn.”

“That is good,” Lord Warwick nodded and coughed.

“You must rest,” The Countess urged.

“I will,” Lord Warwick replied. “Tomorrow, I will seek an audience to the Queen.”

“Anne’s betrothal?” The Countess whispered.

Lord Warwick said nothing.

_He will live to see his daughter be Queen of England, even just for one day._

***

_Fotheringhay Castle_

Two ladies quietly entered the antechamber of the Dowager Duchess Cecily, who knelt by her prie-deu with her rosary. Her eyes were closed and she was in the middle of her prayer. The ladies knew better than interrupting her.

One of them carefully placed the sealed letters aside and then both curtsied and left the Dowager Duchess alone.

After she finished her prayer, Duchess Cecily rose to her feet and went to see the letters; those were from her sons.

The one that particularly caught her eye was the one from her youngest son Richard.

_To my gracious Lady Mother,_

_I have been in London for weeks now. The court is filled with rumors. The Queen is back; as expected, all her royal titles and privileges are restored. Her son, however, remained in the shadow for I only saw him once at the hunting party. His eyes are still, very much like the King; his is not very active either. He is two fingers shorter than me and he has a mind of a child. He did not make an appearance at the Queen’s banquet, which led to more rumors about his health and his status as heir to the throne._

_Our cousin Neville did not come to London until days after the Queen’s banquet. He had an audience with the Queen, but I have heard nothing more._

_I have seen Lady Anne. I saw her the first time at the hunting party, where she and other ladies watched as Ned and I hunted with Prince Edouard. The Prince has a black falcon, but it flew to me. The Prince nearly threw a fit. However, no matter how hard he tried, his falcon chose me. The Prince was so angry that he threw the bow onto the ground and broke it into pieces. The Prince certainly has a temper and his attitudes are mercurial._

_Lady Anne and I met again at the Queen’s banquet. Cousin Neville and the Countess threw her as bait before the eyes of the King and Queen to protect their power in court. She was wearing a crimson dress – showing their loyalty to the Lancastrian King. Obviously, Cousin Neville has the ambition to marry Lady Anne to the Queen’s son Prince Edouard. I pity the poor Lady Anne, for a monster she would have to marry to fulfill her father’s ambition._

_Lady Mother, I must inform you that Cousin Neville is not well. The official reason for his delayed arrival is the bad weather and duties; but the real reason is his health. He is not ailing, Lady Mother; he is dying. He knows his condition and he will see his ambition fulfilled before his eventual death. The only barrier is the King, who still has yet restored Prince Edouard’s status as heir to the throne. It is only the matter of time. If the King were to reinvest Prince Edouard as Prince of Wales before Cousin Neville’s death, then he will marry Lady Anne to Prince Edouard and his men and affinity will support the Lancastrians as result. If Cousin Neville were to die before Prince Edouard’s reinvestment as heir to the throne, then Ned will win the crown in the end for the Queen is not popular and English people will not accept the reign of a foreign prince. Furthermore, marriage of George and Lady Isabel will keep the Neville affinity close to us._

_How is my sister Lady Isabel’s condition? I believe that she will begin her confinement soon. Perhaps she needs her sister by her side._

_May God bless you and keep you safe._

_Your son,_

_Lord Richard  
Louyalte Me Lie_

After she finished reading the letter, Duchess Cecily tossed it into the fire.


	4. Chapter 4

Anne’s appearance in Court had been a success. Everyone praised her as “gracious and beauteous”. Yes, she dressed well; danced gracefully; and her behavior was reserved and demure. She would’ve been the exact daughter-in-law Queen Margaret wished for: a girl who would not outshine her but useful to her in any way. In her mind, based on the Prince’s attitude towards her and the impression she left at the banquet, Anne confidently waited for the Queen to summon her again.

But that never happened.

Her father had an audience with the Queen but that was it.

After weeks of waiting and expecting, Anne left London with the Countess.

No word on her marriage.

“Lady Mother,” Anne asked the Countess anxiously. “Has Lord Father—“

“Hush, lamb,” the Countess said as she held her daughter close to her. Queen Margaret was a vengeful woman. To her guess, the Queen blamed her husband for her great misfortune of arrest and exile. Lord Warwick had told her that the Queen made him kneel for a long time before she spoke to him.

In the end, she informed him coldly of the potential marriage between her son Edward and a French princess. To prove his loyalty to her, the Queen asked Lord Warwick to see it done.

So Anne was not to marry Prince Edward.

Anne stared out from the litter wordlessly. Her heart was heavy.

She was quite fond of the Prince. His dark eyes and dark curls were still in her mind. She was even jealous of the French princess who would marry him.

_But he was fond of me, wasn’t he?_

Soon, Anne envisioned him riding on a magnificent white horse coming after her, pulling her out of the litter onto his horseback and riding away with her. She was completely sunk into her imagination until her mother nudged her.

That night she tried to sleep but she could not stop thinking of him. She hoped that he could somehow come to her, climb into her chamber through the window, and tell her that his lady mother the Queen changed her mind and wanted them to marry.

She stared at the window for hours, but no sign of the Prince.

There were only shadows.

***

_Middleham Castle_

The Countess noted that since their return from London, Anne had not been herself lately. Instead of running up and down the hill with Kathryn under the watchful eyes of her nanny Alys or riding, she spent her time with embroidery. She spoke to no one, not even to Kathryn, her half-sister and confidante. The Countess correctly guessed that she was disappointed that the Queen rejected her as a candidate as the Princess of Wales.

But it might not be a loss.

Maybe it’d be safer for her younger daughter to marry someone else.

She approached her daughter. “Anne.”

Anne looked up from her embroidery. “Lady Mother.”

The Countess gave Kathryn a look. She took the cue, curtsied and left.

“You must not think of the Prince anymore,” the Countess lectured.

“I am not,” Anne denied in a low voice.

The Countess bit her lips and then continued, “Your sister will be in confinement soon. The Dowager Duchess had written to me that Isabel misses you terribly and would like you to be by her side during her confinement.”

“So I am to go visit Bella?” Anne asked. It had been a long time since she saw her sister.

“You have to,” the Countess replied. “The Dowager Duchess has invited you to Fotheringhay Castle; you cannot refuse her.”

Anne hesitated, and then asked, “Am I…am I… to marry…”

The Countess shook her head firmly. “You will not think of that. You are only going to the Dowager Duchess’ household as her grandniece and Lady Isabel’s sister.” The Countess pulled Anne closer and whispered, “The Dowager Duchess may be kinder than the Queen, but she’s no less ambitious. Her oldest son the Duke of York is notorious for his flock of whores and mistresses. Do not have your reputation marred. Stay close to Isabel and to the Dowager Duchess, but stay away from her sons.”

Anne nodded. “Yes, Lady Mother.”

***

With her coffers and chests packed, Anne was to leave Middleham Castle again with Kathryn by her side. The Countess did not join them since she was not invited by Duchess Cecily; and she needed to stay behind to oversee the household and wait for the news of her husband.

“Remember, you only there to visit your sister,” the Countess reminded her before her departure. “Do not ever become a broken meat.”

Anne nodded obediently and kissed her mother goodbye.

***

On her way she was silent. On one hand, her mother seemed to be interested in the potential marriage between her and Lord Richard, the youngest brother of York. On the other hand, she was had yet gave up the hope of marrying her to the Prince. Perhaps the Countess did not want to lose either potential. In her heart, Anne sensed this visit was not just to accompany Bella. The Countess had certainly given her quite an impossible task. She instructed her to “not to displease the Dowager Duchess but to stay away from the York brothers” and at the same time “do not leave any impression that may hint possible betrothal between her and anyone—the Prince or Lord Richard.”

“What does the Duke look like?” Kathryn asked her in the litter. “Is he really that tall?”

“I don’t know,” Anne replied carelessly.

“I heard he is very handsome.”

Anne said nothing.

“I heard stories about his youngest brother Lord Richard,” Kathryn went on and on. “I heard in London that he is very different from the Duke. At one glance, it’s hardly convincing that they are full-blooded brothers. And there were rumors that the Duke is actually a son of an archer—“

“Kathryn!” Anne was shocked. “You mustn’t say that when we arrive.”

“I know, but we are not there yet.”

***

After weeks of traveling, Anne and Kathryn arrived to the Fotheringhay Castle. The Dowager Duchess warmly received her in the courtyard. Taking her hands, she kissed her on both cheeks. “My little Anne, how have you grown!”

“Lady Duchess,” Anne greeted politely.

“Please, call me Aunt Cis,” Duchess Cecily said with a gentle smile. “Come, you must rest after your long journey.”

“How is my sister?”

“She is well. Her confinement will start in weeks.”

The Duchess took Anne’s hand and led her into the castle.

The girls were treated with delicious meals and sweet wines. Soon, Anne relaxed and began to laugh with the Duchess. She seemed to completely forget her mother’s instructions and warnings. Thankfully, the Duchess asked nothing about her stay in London.

As soon as she finished her meal, Anne went to take a bath and changed into clean clothes. Once done, she was taken to see her sister Bella.

She entered Isabel’s antechamber and found a tall woman in a green dress stood by the window; she was obviously pregnant.

“Bella!” Anne cried out. Isabel turned and was pleasantly surprised. She held out her arms and the two sisters embraced.

“Anne! I missed you!” Isabel said to Anne with tears in her eyes. “I’m so happy that you’re here. I am so scared…after all the prayers, God finally heard me and blessed me with this child. Oh I hope this is a boy!” Then she turned her attention on Kathryn. “Oh Katie, I’m happy to see you too.”

Kathryn bowed.

Isabel was drowned in happiness. “Oh…I am so fortunate! You two are here with me, just like when we were girls…”

***

Isabel made arrangements to have Anne share a bed with her and Kathryn to sleep in another chamber. In her entire life, Kathryn hardly ever slept alone. Her bed was comfortable enough, but she felt a bit unusual. She got out of the bed and left the chamber. With a lamp in her hand, she wondered down the hall.

And got lost.

“You need help finding your way?” A strong male voice said behind her.

Startled, Kathryn turned and found a gigantic fair man stood before her. He was the most handsome man she ever seen.

“I…I…” Kathryn stuttered and could not find her words; she was besotted.

“Come, I will show you the way,” he offered politely. Taking the lamp from her, he guided her back to her assigned chamber.

“Thank you.” Kathryn said gratefully while looking down to hide her blushing.

She reached for the door and found her hand lack of strength. He reached over and opened the door for her, brushing his fingers against her hand.

Kathryn blushed even more.

She attempted to run into the chamber and close the door behind her.

But she couldn’t.

He followed her into the chamber.

“My…my lord Duke…” By now, based on his looks and demeanor, Kathryn already guessed his identity.

“Please, call me Ned,” he said huskily.

He approached her closer and closer until he closed the space between him. Stroking her chin, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Her lips quivered and responded very slowly.

She was an amateur; but he was more than experienced.

He pulled her into his arms and unlaced her nightshift. His skillful fingers pulled her nightshift off and then pushed her down onto the bed. Kathryn, consumed by pleasure and flattered by his attention, did not object and succumbed into his passions. She closed her eyes as he caressed her body with his lips inch by inch.

She could’ve cried out when he penetrated her for it hurts, like how all young maidens lost their virginity. But he anticipated that and muffled her cries with his lips over hers.

He did not leave her alone that night.

He left her chamber at dawn.

And thus as Anne accompanied her sister Lady Isabel, Kathryn became mistress and lover to Edward Duke of York.


	5. Chapter 5

_To My Lady Mother,_

_Bella’s condition is well. She has waited for this child for so long. Since she married George, she had suffered much of his neglect and coldness. His disappointment to her bareness has been obvious. Bella has told me that as soon as she has this child, George will love her. Bella has prayed so hard for this child to be a boy! Every night, I go to the chapel to pray with her. My Lady the Dowager Duchess sometimes prays with us. She has been so kind, and even bestowed Bella one of her finest rosaries._

_Don’t not worry, my Lady Mother. My days are spent with my sister and the Dowager Duchess. Together, we read, pray, and embroidered. Kathryn has been helpful as well. She spent much of her time attending to her duties to me, Bella, and the Dowager Duchess. Thus, I have not seen her as much._

_Bella will be in confinement soon._

_I pray for her and her child every day._

_Your dutiful daughter,_

_Anne_

***

The Dowager Duchess Cecily was much kinder and softer than the Queen, but she knew how to impose orders and disciplines in her household. All of her children were married and had their own household, except for Richard, her youngest son. Isabel, like Anne, was _invited_ to her castle to prepare for the birth of her child. The Dowager Duchess’ favoritism was glaringly evident. Lady Elizabeth Woodville, _the_ Duchess of York, had give birth to three daughters but the Dowager Duchess hardly ever paid attention. The Duke of York came to the castle from time to time to visit and pay respect to his mother. He would bring his wife if she was not expecting. When Anne came to stay with Isabel in the Dowager Duchess’ castle, Duke Edward of York was there visiting his mother as well.

And he brought his wife.

At the meal table, Anne sat next to Isabel while the Dowager Duchess sat in upper seat. The Duke sat beside her and Duchess Elizabeth sat quietly next to her husband. Anne never saw any woman as beautiful as Duchess Elizabeth. She had hair of gold, icy blue eyes, and beautiful white skin. Her eyes spoke of pride and ambition.

The Dowager Duchess completely ignored her.

But it was at that meal table Anne met Richard for the first time.

He came late and apologized for his tardiness and kissed his mother’s hand.

Anne nearly choked on her wine.

That face, the eyes, and the hair—before her sat the Prince, or the man whom she mistakenly took as the Prince.

He looked back at her.

It made Anne shiver.

The Dowager Duchess carried on as if she noted nothing. The Duke Edward rolled his eyes and Duchess Elizabeth glared at Anne and Isabel coldly.

After the meal was over, Anne followed Isabel back to their chambers.

Before she left, she turned and looked at him.

He was still here, staring at her.

After they returned to the chamber, Anne helped Isabel changed into another loose dress. “Bella, that young man with dark hair sitting next to Aunt Cis, who is that?”

Isabel chuckled. “Anne, how could you not know? That is Lord Richard, George’s youngest brother and Aunt Cis’ youngest son!”

***

Anne felt like a fool.

She foolishly believed that the Prince saw her and fell in love with her.

No, it was him, Richard the youngest brother of Duke of York—the exact man the Countess told her to stay away from.

Now they were under the same roof.

Anne recalled her mother’s last words to her before she left Middleham.

_Stay away from the York boys…_

She had so much thoughts and confusion in her mind, but she couldn’t share them with Isabel. The only person she trusted was Kathryn.

That night, after Isabel fell asleep, Anne crept out of the bed and went to see Kathryn. She knocked on the door of her chamber and waited. It took a longer time for Kathryn to respond, which was unusual. But Anne was too preoccupied with her thoughts to notice that.

“Kathryn! I need to speak with you!” Anne walked into her chamber and sat on her bed.

“What is it?” Kathryn asked.

Anne gave her a serious look and lowered her voice. “What I’m telling you tonight, you cannot repeat this to anyone!”

Kathryn gave her a nod.

Anne continued, “When we were in London, I met this young man at the hunting party and then at the banquet…I thought he was the Prince.” She laughed a little nervously. “I have not spoken to him and today I saw him again. Turns out he is not the Prince but Aunt Cis’ youngest son Lord Richard!”

Kathryn burst out laughing.

Anne grabbed Kathryn by the shoulders and shook her. “This is not a laughing matter!”

Kathryn stopped laughing and asked, “Are you marrying the Prince?”

“No!” Anne shook her head. “The Queen is arranging a French marriage.”

“So,” Kathryn rolled her eyes playfully. “It’d be Lord Ri—“

“Oh I don’t know!” Anne shook her head again. “This is so complicated.”

Kathryn started to giggle again. “Oh my Lady Anne! How you blush!” Then she asked Anne, “What are you going to do then?”

After some care thinking, Anne replied, “Nothing. I will follow my Lady Mother’s instructions: stay close to Bella and Aunt Cis and stay away from the Duke and his brothers. And leave my marriage to the hands of our Lord father.”

“Lady Countess told you that?”

Anne nodded. “’The Duke is a notorious for his flock of whores’—her exact words.”

The two girls laughed together.

***

Anne wished she could stay longer, but Isabel needed her.

After she left the chamber, Kathryn tipped on her toes to the huge chest. “She’s gone!”

Behind the chest and drapery on the wall hid the Duke Edward of York.

“You have been naughty,” he teased. He picked up Kathryn and threw her on the bed. Hovering over her, he whispered, “You made me hid there so long, longing for you.”

He sank his teeth into her flesh and Kathryn gasped.

Playing with her body, Duke Edward muttered, “So you and your Lady Anne talk about everything…sharing your little secrets?”

Lying on her belly, Kathryn let out a sigh. “I cannot betray my Lady…”

“You don’t need to,” Duke Edward said proudly. “I know how accomplish my needs.”

He learned more than he needed tonight.

He would find a chance to punish Countess of Warwick for her words against him.

***

_To My Brother Richard,_

_I will stay here with our Lady Mother longer than planned. My wife Bess will leave soon on her own to see to the welfare and health of our daughters. Through one of my liaisons I’ve learned Lady Anne’s affections and love for you. It is hard for me to believe that you managed to capture her heart thus easily! When she saw you at the hunting, she mistakenly believed that you were the bastard son of the Queen. She is quite disappointed to learn that you are not the Prince but the youngest son of a Dowager Duchess. But her heart remained yours._

_The Countess of Warwick had taught her well. She has instructed her daughter to keep her distance. Lady Anne is not a simple lady—she is indeed her father’s daughter. She knows the right words to say and right things to do. If she were to leave her marriage plan to the hands of Warwick, then it is very likely that she’d marry the bastard son of the Queen. Though I have heard the Queen has a plan for a French marriage, I do not believe that she’d allow Lady Anne to marry into House of York. Brother, keep in mind, once our sister Isabel gave birth Lady Anne will return to Middleham. If she leaves this household, she will return to the hands of her father as his pawn to bargain with the Queen. You are already half-way there—use your words and your charms and woo her. If she were to follow her heart and to choose a husband of her own, then she’d choose you. Make her see her heart and her courage. And you have my words—I will give you all my support and blessing to this union as your brother and the Duke of York._

_Your brother,_

_Edward_

Richard read the letter amusingly and tossed it into the fire.

He twisted the ring on his small finger. It was taken from Lady Anne’s finger at the Queen’s banquet.

He would marry Anne, secure the Neville affinity and keep the York brothers united.

And they shall defeat that Bitch of Anjou, her bastard son, and the Mad Lancastrian King.

He cringed at the thought of that woman. He would never forget that dark night when his father returned from London in great pain and ill. He died from drowning in his blood. The official reason of his death was consumption. But, in his heart, he knew that it was she—that Bitch of Anjou—had him poisoned.

He would live to see his vengeance fulfilled.

Edward, his brother…

Duke of York…

…King of England.


	6. Chapter 6

_To My Lady Countess,_

_My Lady Anne is very cheerful. She spends most of her time accompanying Lady Isabel, who is only one month away from her confinement. Lady Anne has the most skillful hands in plaiting hair—to the point that Lady Isabel asked her to redress her hair almost four times a day for the pleasure of it. The Dowager Duchess has been kind and all is well._

_Your faithful servant,_

_Kathryn_

***

Anne stared out from the window blankly.

She could not stop thinking about Richard.

“Anne?” Isabel called after her.

“Do you need me, Bella?” Anne asked without turning herself.

“I need you to help me fix this necklace,” Isabel said. “Are you ill?”

“No,” Anne replied as if nothing was wrong with her. She went to Isabel and adjusted her necklace; it was a gift from George.

“Anne?” Isabel asked. “Has Lord Father revealed anything regarding to your…betrothal?”

Anne shook her head. “No.”

“Would you be happy if you were to marry Richard?”

Anne nearly dropped Isabel’s necklace, but she managed to control herself. “Bella, you know it’s not my choice. Whoever our lord father betrothed me to, I have to obey and follow.”

Isabel took her hand. “Anne, you have no idea how much I missed you. I am only thinking, if you were to marry Richard, then we will be married into the same family and be on the same side, always. We can visit each other more.”

“I know, Bella.”

A servant interrupted their conversation. “Lady Anne, our Lady Duchess likes to see you.”

“Oh,” Anne approached the servant, a little hesitant. “But my sister needs me—“

“Don’t worry!” Kathryn came into the chamber with folds of sheets and linens. “I will stay with Lady Isabel.”

“How thoughtful of you Kathryn,” Anne said gratefully.

***

Anne followed the servant’s lead. To her surprise, she was taken to another quarter. The servant then humbly bowed and left. Anne bewilderedly looked around her and then heard footsteps behind her.

“Lady Anne,” he greeted softly and bowed.

“Lord Richard,” Anne replied with cautious. She was expecting Dowager Duchess Cecily, but found that she had been tricked. “I am expecting the Dowager Duchess, but it’s you.”

He nodded. “Lady Mother likes to have some words with you, but I offered to pass on the message.”

He approached closer.

“What does she like to tell me?”

“My lady mother has heard about your horse riding skills in Middleham and thus she is inviting you to join our hunting at the noon of morrow,” he said softly.

“Us as…”

“My brother the Duke and I, George, and everyone else.” He smiled.

“And my sister?”

“She will be fine. Your maid Kathryn will be by her side.”

“Kathryn is not my maid,” Anne corrected him.

He chuckled and said, “Why the hostility, Lady Anne? I have no ill will towards you.”

“Really?” Anne shook her head. “Passing on your lady mother’s words to me…Are you being a dutiful son or are you manipulating the situation to be alone with me?”

Richard sharply changed his tone. “Lady Anne, I am offended by your words! How could you say that of me?”

“You are the Duke’s brother,” Anne said quietly. “He has his way—“

“Hush!” His eyes turned cold. “My brother the Duke does have his ways, but I am not my brother.”

“Then how do you explain the way you looked at me at the Queen’s banquet and then at the meal table?”

“And how do you explain your eyes that searched in vain for the Prince in London?”

Anne was silenced.

“You don’t have the right to reprimand me, Lady Anne. I am only being kind towards my betrothed. You, on the other hand, attempted in vain to seduce the Prince—“

Shocked, Anne attempted to slap him across the face, but he was quicker and caught her hand.

“Lady Anne, mark my words, do not try to strike me,” he warned coldly and then brushed his lips against her fingers.

“You said something about your betrothed, who are you referring to?”

“Who do you think?”

He released her hand and then bowed to leave.

Anne watched as he was gone from her sight.

***

_Who do you think?_

Anne wondered if her father Lord Warwick had arranged a marriage between herself and Richard. Of course, she couldn’t write to her father and ask; that would not be appropriate. She thought about the Prince again, a man whom she never met. She couldn’t help but imagined what her life would be like if she were to marry either man. If she were to marry the Prince, then she would one day be Queen of England. If she were to marry Richard, she would be a Lady or a Countess. But…

As much as she hated to admit, she was attracted to Richard.

She could still feel his hand on hers and his lips on her fingers.

She was still thinking of him when at the hunting on the next day.

To her surprise, the one who was leading all the hunters was no one but the Dowager Duchess herself. Sitting on a horse, the Duchess Cecily proudly watched as her sons pulling the bows, shooting arrows, and playing with hawks. Isabel was not present. She would love to be there, but the Duchess Cecily forbade it.

“It’s never a good thing for an expecting mother to look at the animals!” She had told Isabel. “The child will look like a horse.”

And so Isabel stayed inside with Kathryn.

Sitting on her horse, Anne watched as Richard stood next to his brothers, Edward and George. Slowly, he pulled back his bow and he patiently followed the movement of his targeted fox. Then, suddenly, he released his arrow and shot the fox. The entire party applauded. Richard, as inward and reserved as always, showed no expression. However, he glanced at Anne to see her reaction.

Anne looked down and tried hard not to blush.

“Look, a deer!” Duke Edward shouted. “Mine!”

On his horse, he went after it into the woods. George and Richard hopped onto their horses as well and galloped after him. Riding next to the Dowager Duchess, Anne followed them. By the time she saw the York boys, George stood boastfully next to his prize, laughing loudly.

“Well done, George,” Duchess Cecily prasied.

Then, they heard a sound of sniffing. Curious, they looked around but saw nothing. Before Duke Edward could say something, a small boar jumped out from the bushes. All the hunters tried to capture it by hand or shoot it; all was in vain.

Duchess Cecily watched and shook her head. The boar was running away.

Loud and clear, the she shouted as she pointed her whip towards the boar’s direction. “Anne! Go after it! Show them how it’s done!”

Instantly, Anne went after the boar on her horse. Others watched her in awe, admiring her riding skills. She was quick, adept, and fierce. Soon, she caught up with the boar. Reining the horse in, she dismounted quietly and sneaked behind the small creature. Just before she could grab it, the boar was startled and ran away from her.

Suddenly, an arrow was shot into the ground right before the little boar.

Before her came Richard, bending down and lifted up the small creature. He walked towards Anne and gently handed the boar into her hands, as if he was handing her an infant.

“It’s yours Lady Anne,” he said gently.

“Looks like we are having boar for dinner,” Duke Edward laughed, coming behind them.

Hearing that, Anne quickly released the small creature and watched as it ran away.

She looked at Richard and said, “It doesn’t deserve to die.”

“Whatever pleases you, my lady.”

***

On their way back to the castle, Anne rode silently behind the Dowager Duchess. Her heart was in the midst of confusion. The Countess taught her to be cautious and distant from Richard, and as far, she had spoke with him and hunted with him. To not disappoint her lady mother, she offended Richard and rejected his every gesture of kindness.

And she felt guilty.

Had she hurt his feelings?

Somehow, she found Richard very different from Duke Edward.

The Duke was tall, handsome, flirtatious, and flamboyant. Before the Dowager Duchess, he behaved himself. But, from his eyes, Anne knew the rumors about him are probably true. Richard, on the other hand, was dark, reserved, and polite; yet at the same time, in control and commanding. Surely, she did not see him as a man with flock of whores.

But still…

She continued to sink into her thoughts until her hat was knocked on the ground.

A squire went to fetch it as Anne turned her horse around.

But it was Richard who took the hat from the squire and placed it onto Anne’s head.

“May I have a moment?” He asked.

“The Lady Duchess is waiting for me,” Anne replied rather shyly.

“Tell her that you were with me, and I shall take the punishment for you.”

“Punishment? How would the Lady Duchess punish you?”

“Pray on my knees until dawn.” He grabbed the rein of her horse. “Come.”

Anne complied and followed him.

A moment later, they both dismounted and walked with their horses.

“You ride very well,” Richard commented. “You are your father’s daughter after all.”

Anne blushed. “Thank you. You have been kind.”

“Although I am still offended by your previous comments,” Richard muttered.

“I’m sorry,” she said apologetically. “But you must understand—“

“Why are you judging me based on the rumors?” He questioned. “I would do nothing to upset you. I value honor and loyalty above anything else.”

Anne bit her lips and then asked, “The other day, you said something about your betrothed, who are you referring to?”

“Who do you think?”

“I don’t know. If only you can tell me.”

“Lady Anne, you are of age,” Richard began. “You have the right to refuse a marriage that you find it disagreeable. You are a great catch, for you left an unforgettable impression at the court in London. But your father is using you as a pawn for his power. Trust me, you would not want to marry the Prince, even if he were a future emperor.”

“Lord Richard, please do not speak ill of my father!”

“I admire your father, but it is pains me to see him using you as bait for power.” He looked around and then lowered his voice. “If the Prince is a man with great intellect, then I will say nothing if you were to wed him. But, from what I know of him, I cannot bear to see that happen. You saw the fate of the Queen.”

“What are you saying then?” Anne tilted her chin. “That I should act against my lord father if he arranges a marriage for me?”

“No, all I’m saying is that you should stay true to your heart and follow it,” he replied. “A man should marry you not for his gain in power and money. He should marry you because he loves you.”

He then took her hand and held it tightly. “Marry me, because I adore you.”

Anne was stunned at his blunt confession. “What?”

“I adore you,” he repeated himself, refusing to let her go.

She was still for a moment, putting her emotions and feelings under control. Struggling, she pulled her hand back; her glove remained in his clutch.

She walked away stiffly, turned, and said firmly, “From now on, keep your distance and do not speak to me again, if you want to keep your honor that is.”


	7. Chapter 7

_To my daughter Anne,_

_Your father has returned from London; the marriage negotiation between the Prince and the French princess came to nothing. The Prince’s status as Prince of Wales has still not been reinvested. These are hard times, daughter, and your lord father is very troubled. Remember, keep your distance from the youngest son of the Dowager Duchess of York and do not link yourself to him in anyway. Once your sister Isabel gives birth, you are to return to Middleham at once without a day of delay._

_Your Lady Mother,_

_Anne de Beauchamp, Countess of Warwick_

***

Anne had kept her distance from Richard. But his words haunted her endlessly.

_Marry me, because I adore you._

_Marry me…_

_Marry me…_

_Marry me…_

Those words fascinated her at times, but angered her too. He was declaring his love for her, but at the same time, he was controlling her. He was not asking, but demanding and telling. He, who criticized her father for using her as a pawn, was forcing a marriage upon her against her will.

Did he even ask her where her heart lies?

By now, Isabel’s confinement had begun and Anne spent most of her time with her sister. Kathryn sometimes joined them. She told Anne that she was busy fulfilling duties given by the Dowager Duchess. However, the truth was she was spending time with Duke Edward. To please him, Kathryn showed him the letters the Countess wrote to Anne.

In those letters, the Countess warned Anne about the York brothers.

And she informed Anne that the Prince will not marry a French princess.

Edward disappointedly threw the letter aside as Kathryn laid her head on his stomach. Playing with her braids, he let out a sigh, “It’s sad really. It seems to me that your Lord Warwick is going to offer the Queen your Lady Anne as a potential bride.”

“Is he?” Kathryn tilted her head. “What’s going to happen then?”

“Oh I don’t know,” Edward laughed. “What do I know? I’m only a Duke…a Duke without a son.”

“I can give you a son,” Kathryn said softly, and half-jokingly. “I am a Neville, and surely I am fertile.”

Like the Dowager Duchess, who came from the House of Neville, had given birth to seven sons.

“Are you?” Edward pulled up her dress and teased her thighs. “Should I divorce Elizabeth and make you my new wife? Lady Duchess Kathryn?”

Kathryn giggled.

“But keep in mind, if Lady Anne were to wed the Prince, then it’d be difficult to see you again. We will be forever separated.”

“Will we?” Kathryn adjusted her dress and sat up. “I don’t want that to happen.”

“Then work with me,” Edward urged and took her hands. “You are more than a girl, Kathryn. You are beautiful, and clever. You are kind with conscience. The Prince is ogre with a simple mind and mercurial temper. How much would Lady Anne suffer by marrying such a man?”

“What do you want me to do then?”

“Simple,” Edward moved strands of her hair aside and whispered into her ear.

Kathryn nodded.

***

“Lady Anne,” a familiar voice said behind her.

Anne turned and found herself face-to-face with Richard. She was on her way back from the chapel, praying for Isabel and her child.

She lowered her head and walked away from him with her rosary closed in her hands.

“Wait,” he came after her.

Anne stopped and stepped away. “I have told you to not speak to me and keep your distance.”

“And so I have,” Richard said. “But it’s more important to me to save you from misery.”

“My miseries are caused by you not honoring my wishes,” Anne said sharply. “You claim to be a man of honor. And here you are, making me uncomfortable.”

“I am saving you!” He insisted.

“From what?” Anne looked at him, bewildered. “What are you saving me from?”

“They have you trapped, Lady Anne,” Richard said evenly as he approached her. “If you were to walk out of this castle, then you will be used by your lord father as barter to exchange for his power in Court. Your happiness means nothing to them. You will face the danger of being overthrown, coup, rebellion, and exile. I do not want you to suffer from it.”

“So to avoid all this, I should marry you?”

“You will.”

Anne showed anger. “You have no right to say this! My lord father makes my marital arrangement—“

“To which you can refuse.”

“If I marry you, what it’d be like? Me branded as a whore or broken-meat, bedded by the younger brother of Duke of York? The Duke of York, who forced marriage upon Lady Grey. He would’ve dishonored her had Lady Grey not defended herself with a dagger. And then it’s your brother George, who treated my sister with neglect and coldness. And I shall marry you, without permission? Another scandalous marriage that mars the name of my family? No, I am Lady Anne Neville and I don’t play such wicked games!” She took a deep breath and calmed down a little. “Forgive me for my bluntness, but it is the truth.”

He took a step back. “I will never do anything that displeases you, Lady Anne. All I want to do is to protect you.”

“Then let me be.”

Richard bowed and replied, “I will keep my distance, if that makes you happy.”

***

When Anne returned to Isabel’s chamber, she learned a scream.

“Anne! Where are you?”

Anne rushed to her sister’s bed side and found her surrounded by ladies and midwives. Bloody sheets were piled in a basket and Kathryn was wiping her forehead.

“Hurry, we need the Dowager Duchess!” Anne cried.

She took Isabel’s hand and held it tightly. “I’m here, sister. I’m here.”

Soon, Duchess Cecily arrived. Calmly, she went to Isabel and muttered a prayer. Anne never released Isabel’s hand and shared her pain when Isabel plagued by waves of contraction. Duchess Cecily whispered encouraging words into her ear. Anne tried to be brave, but each time Isabel cried out her courage diminished.

Is this what every woman has to go through to fulfill their duties to their husbands?

The pain from contractions was so strong that it completely changed Isabel. Her lovely features were distorted. Her gentle voice became hoarse. Her hands were like claws. For a moment, Anne thought she was in the midst of nightmare where she was in a torture chamber.

“The baby stuck!” One of the midwives said. “We need someone with small hands…”

No one had smaller hands than Anne.

When the midwives looked at her, Anne shivered from head to toe. Shaking her head, she backed away with fear.

No, she couldn’t do this.

Before she could say anything, Duchess Cecily grabbed her shoulders and looked at her in the eyes. “Anne, you are going to do this. If you love your sister, and if you appreciate the kindness I showered you, then you will do it. You are a brave woman, you are a Neville! Make your father proud!”

With her hands shaking, Anne followed the midwives and did what she was told.

She couldn’t remember what she did.

It was all a blur.

But she did it.

The child was delivered.

But not one cry.

It was a stillbirth; a girl born dead.

Anne’s hands and arms were still covered with blood. She blankly stared at Isabel; her body was shaking.

And Isabel stared back at her.

Suddenly, with all her strength, she lashed out at Anne. “What did you do?!”

“I…I…I…did…what I was told…” She turned to the midwives.

Duchess Cecily tried to calm Isabel down as Kathryn, face ashen, stood like a statue.

“Anne, go,” Duchess Cecily ordered her calmly. It was not a reprimand, but to Anne, it did not make her feel any better.

She ran out of Isabel’s chamber and straight to the chapel.

_Lord, please give me the strength…_

***

She stayed in the chapel for hours, completely did not realize another person knelt into a prayer besides her.

She raised her head and turned.

She saw him.

She said nothing to him, but watched as his reserved emotionless face looked up from his prayer. He turned and looked at her.

Without a word, she ran into his arms and sobbed her heart out. Never had she ever felt this helpless and vulnerable.

Wrapping his arms around her, he held her protectively as if he was shielding her from all the possible harms.

“I…I…did what the midwives told me to do…I didn’t…”

“Shh, it’s alright,” he whispered against her hair.

“How would you know?” Anne asked bitterly. “How would you know it’s going to be alright?”

She pulled herself away from him, but he pulled her back, holding her from the behind.

“Because I do,” he replied as he pressed a kiss against her hair.

The warmth of his lips against her hair was like a spell. It took away all of her strength to the point she could barely stand.

She made no protest when Richard picked her up and carried her to an antechamber.

He laid her down and traced her face and features.

Taking his hand, Anne whispered, “Do you love me, Richard, truly?”

“I do,” he replied. “I have since we met at the hunting in London.”

Yes, that hunting where Anne mistakenly thought he was the Prince.

“Make me feel safe…make me feel loved,” Anne said, almost pleadingly. “Love…what…what is it?”

He leaned down to her face, closer and closer until he kissed her on the lips. The kiss was gentle. When he pulled away, Anne said nothing; but her eyes reflected that she wanted more.

He kissed her again. First on the lips, the moved down to her neck, her throat, her collarbone, and then her chest.

Anne started to breathe heavily. Her heart pounded strangely. She felt warm.

To her surprise, Richard suddenly stopped.

“What is it?” She asked meekly.

“We can’t,” he replied. He rose and pulled Anne up.

Anne said nothing for the moment. She quietly stood as Richard reached into his doublet. He took out a silver pilgrim cross and placed it on her neck.

“This will keep you safe,” he said as he kissed her on the neck.

He walked at away from her and disappeared from her sight.

Anne remained in the chapel, standing numbly.


	8. Chapter 8

_My Dear Lady Countess,_

_I have grave news: Lady Isabel’s baby came early and it was a girl who did not have the blessing to live. The baby was stuck and only my brave Lady Anne had the hands small enough to pull her out. Lady Isabel is heartbroken and distraught. Poor Lady Anne is disturbed as well. As Lady Isabel is recovering, Lady Anne is in bed with fever. Her condition is so severe that she had to be bled. The Dowager Duchess is concerned. The physicians said that Lady Anne is not well enough to travel and need to be confined in bed. My Lady Anne insisted on returning to Middleham as you have told her to._

_My Lady Countess, please permit Lady Anne some days to regain her health. Once she is well enough to travel, we will be on the road at once._

_Your faithful servant,_

_Kathryn_

***

Anne had Kathryn pack up all their belongings and then asked for horses and a litter.

“Lady Anne, what are you doing?” Kathryn asked, watching Anne acting as she was to escape from plague.

“We have to go Kathryn. Lady Mother had told us to leave at once after Bella gives birth!”

“But Lady Isabel is so distraught and…all alone. She needs you!”

“No, she doesn’t. She doesn’t want to see me. Not…not after what happened!” Anne broke down and began to sob. Kathryn went to her and held her.

“My lady, if we were to leave now, what would people say? What happened to Lady Isabel is God’s will, not your doing. But if you were to leave this soon, and in such a hurry, people would start to talk and wonder—“

“No!” Anne abruptly pulled away. “You…you can’t possibly think that I…”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. But if we were to leave now and with you acting like this, that’s what people will say!” Kathryn gently placed her hands on her shoulders. “Please my lady, let’s be calm. I’ve already written to Lady Countess and explained the situation. Surely, she can understand.”

“What have you told her?” Anne raised an eyebrow.

“The truth,” Kathryn replied. “I told her what happened to Lady Isabel and her baby. I told her how the birth and the incident made you ill and pleaded her to give you a few days to recover before leaving for Middleham.”

“And the Dowager Duchess?”

“She has prayed for Lady Isabel’s health, the soul of her child, and for you,” Kathryn told her. “She is still your Aunt Cis.”

“She is kind, really.” Anne was touched. “We stay then, for a few more days.”

***

Anne went to see Isabel, who stared blankly at the ceiling and barely eating.

“Sister,” Anne greeted her uneasily. “I thought you won’t see me.”

After a long moment, Isabel finally talked. “After I gave birth, I have said some hurtful things to you. I’m sorry. You did what midwives told you.”

Anne let out a sob. She ran to Isabel and held her.

“My poor little girl, I named her Anne in your honor,” Isabel told her.

“How’s George?”

“He hadn’t come see me yet.”

Anne was saddened to hear that. “Why is he this cold to you?”

Isabel shook her head sadly. “Our marriage is never meant for me, Anne. It’s for our lord father and George…and the Duke. My happiness matters only a little.”

Her words echoed in Anne’s mind. Only a couple of days ago Richard told her the same thing. Suddenly the thought of her marriage—especially to the Prince—made her shudder.

“Anne, what is the matter? Why are you shaking?”

“I…I don’t know. Maybe the chamber is not warm enough.” She went to the hearth and added more woods.

“You and Richard are a good match,” Isabel said from the bed.

The name Richard made her heart jumped. “Why are you saying that?”

“He is George’s younger brother, and Aunt Cis’ son. He’s an honorable man…a soldier and a scholar. You remember that he was under the tutelage of our lord father.”

Yes, now Anne remembered. “But it was years ago. I was so young.”

“You didn’t see the way Richard is looking at you?” Isabel asked, almost teasingly. “He’s certainly interested.”

“He’s not,” Anne denied. “He’s only interested in our family fortune and alliances.” She paused and then carefully asked her next question, “Why are you so excited for me to marry him?”

It took a while for Isabel to respond. “I guess I just want us sisters to be together more.”

***

As Isabel was recovering, Anne spent her days reading to her and nursing her. The Countess had written back, telling her to take all the time she needs. Anne was relieved to see that. Days went by and Isabel’s health got better. Fortunately, the midwives and the physicians confirmed that she could still bear more children. That brought both her and Anne some relief and closure.

As soon as Isabel was well enough to leave the bed, the Dowager Duchess called the Neville sisters out of their chambers to attend dance lessons. Her true purpose was to have George and Isabel reconcile and conceive another child soon. Under the guidance of the dance master, Isabel took George’s hand and danced with him.

Her footsteps were small and slow, as if she was afraid to dance with him.

And George followed the dance steps as they were his duties.

Finally, the first round of dance was over.

“Anne,” The Dowager Duchess gave her a nod. Now it was her turn.

She needed a partner.

Before her came Richard. He bowed.

Anne’s eyes flickered, but quickly she repressed all her feelings towards him. She curtsied and took his hand formally.

She tried to dance as naturally as possible.

But with Richard’s hand touching hers, a shiver went down her spine.

She wanted it to stop, but at the same time, she wanted it to continue for an eternity.

The Dowager Duchess watched as the two danced. Before the round of music was over, she signaled them to continue so that they could dance longer. She studied the face and movement of her youngest son. Suddenly, she realized how much he resembled his father, Richard the late Duke of York. The scene before her made her reminisced the old days when she was only a young girl of fourteen, trying to convince her husband Richard to dance with her. He was so reluctant. His dance steps and movements were reserved, but at the same time, held strong passion.

His namesake was no different.

Those eyes…He may never speak love, but his eyes revealed everything.

After this round of dance was over, Richard stood very close to Anne. His face was only inches away.

Consumed by music and his presence, Anne almost forgot the presence of others.

Before she could do anything, Richard stepped back and bowed. Then Anne remembered where she was. She dipped a curtsey.

***

That night Anne could not sleep. After Isabel slept, Anne climbed out of the bed and went to the window to stare at the moon. She hadn’t stop thinking about Richard.

She recalled that night when Isabel gave birth.

How she bolted to the chapel to pray for strength.

And he was there, holding her, shielding her from harm.

The warmth of his embrace…

The passion of his kiss…

She touched the silver cross on her neck.

_This is to keep you safe…_

She held the cross tightly in her palm.

_No…this isn’t right…_

_None of this…_

With that in mind, she quietly slipped out of Isabel’s chamber and went to Kathryn’s. She knocked on her door. This time, she noted how long it took her to answer; but she wasn’t in the mood to ask.

“Kathryn! We must go!”

“My lady—“

“Kathryn, get our things together. It’s time to go now.”

“Tonight?”

“I will inform the Dowager Duchess tomorrow morning. We will leave then.” She then found Kathryn’s mind to be elsewhere. “Kathryn, are you listening to me?”

“Yes…yes my lady!”

“Pack our things and we will depart tomorrow for Middleham. It’s time to go home.”

***

Richard was still sleeping when Duke Edward busted into his bedchamber.

“Dickon, wake up!”

Rubbing his eyes, Richard murmured. “Ned, it’s before dawn.”

“Lady Anne is leaving!”

“What?” Immediately, he rose from the bed.

“Lady Anne is leaving for Middleham.”

Richard skipped to the window and saw Anne and Kathryn in their cloaks, bidding the Dowager Duchess goodbye.

Taking two steps at a time, he bolted from this chamber to the courtyard. But it was futile; Anne already left.

“Lady Mother,” Richard muttered awkwardly, after staring at Anne’s litter, which became smaller and smaller until it was completely out of sight.

“My son, go inside,” Duchess Cecily urged. He nodded and complied.

Once he was alone, he twisted the ring on his small finger.

“Why are you still here, Dickon?” Duke Edward asked from behind. “Get a horse! Go! Go after her!”

“No Ned, you know I cannot do that,” Richard said calmly. “I will not do anything to dishonor her.”

“Don’t be foolish!”

“Ned, if I went after her and made her my wife without Warwick’s permission, what does it make me? Us, the Yorks? When the time comes, I will marry her.”

“When? And how?”

They both knew the answer: _when Edward is the King._


	9. Chapter 9

On their way back to Middleham, Anne and Kathryn were exceptionally quiet. Oddly, both of them were thinking of the same thing: guilt and pleasure of harboring secret feelings towards a man. Anne was thinking about Richard, even though she never accepted his pursue, except for that incident at the chapel. Kathryn, her half-sister and confidante, was involved in a sexual love affair with the Duke of York, who took her innocence.

Anne wondered if her interaction with Richard at the hunting and at the dance lesson left an impression – could the Dowager Duchess, the Duke of York, or George and Isabel had already believed that she and Richard developed an attraction to each other? If one of them were to write a letter to inform the Countess…

Kathryn could not stop thinking the last conversation she had with the Duke of York, or rather, Ned.

He had told her that his wife Lady Elizabeth failed to give him a son.

He had told her that he worried if marrying Elizabeth is a mistake.

He had told her that he loves her – that if she could prove her love, faith, and loyalty to him, he would divorce Elizabeth and make Kathryn his new duchess.

The King of England is known as the Sleeping King, he told her, because his Queen practices witchcraft and casted a spell on him; her son is sadistic and cruel, and possibly a seed of Satan. He, Edward Duke of York, is next in line to English throne. Sooner or later, the evil Queen will act and see their head rolling. England could not be under the reign of such a ruthless woman, who would do everything for power. No one would be safe, not even Kathryn since she is Warwick’s daughter. To save them all, he must act and Kathryn must work with him. Once he succeeded and became the rightful King of England, he’d make Kathryn his Queen.

Her, Kathryn Neville, Queen of England.

She glanced at Anne, the legitimate daughter of Warwick.

She remembered the possible betrothal between Lady Anne and the Prince.

So which one of them would be the next Queen of England?

***

They stopped at an inn. The girls shared a bed like they always did.

Anne turned away from Kathryn and gently touched the silver cross on her neck. Maybe she should’ve returned it to Richard.

“My lady?”

“Yes Kathryn.”

“Do…do you like Lord Richard?”

She waited for a moment and replied, “No.”

“If you were to choose, would you marry the Prince or Lord Richard?”

“Kathryn, you know I never get to choose.”

“But Anne, you remember that story we heard when we were children? About the Fortune’s Wheel? You never know—“

“Kathryn, let me sleep!” Anne retorted with frustration. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” Before she closed her eyes, she told Kathryn sternly, “When we return home to Middleham, do not mention Lord Richard again. There is nothing between him and me.”

“Yes, My Lady.” Spitefulness flashed across her heart. Now she found it annoying and hateful when Anne tells her what to do.

***

The girls were still sleeping when their chamber’s door was pounding heavily, as if someone were to bang their door down.

The loud banging woke them. A bit frightened, Anne thought if the inn were surrounded by robbers or possibly her father’s enemies. Throwing on her robes, she crept out of the bed. “Kathryn, go answer the door!”

Frightened, Kathryn walked slowly to the door with lamp in her hand. She opened the door with her fingers shaking.

To their relief, the person stood behind the door was the old matron who ran the inn.

“My Lady, please get dressed!” She told them.

She then left and closed the door behind her.

Anne and Kathryn looked at each other. _What is happening?_

The girls knew it’d be better if they were to do what the old matron told them to do. So, Kathryn helped Anne dressed. Anne noticed that Kathryn was tying her lace in a rather harsher and stiff motion. “Kathryn, are you all right?”

“I’m fine, My Lady,” Kathryn replied.

“Are you scared?”

“A little.”

“I am too.”

After the girls got dressed, they walked out of the inn together in their cloaks; before them stood soldiers, who surrounded the inn. Their eyes were cold and unemotional. Anne held on to Kathryn’s arm tightly. Who are these men? Were they arrested?

Then a dark figure walked towards them. As it approached closer, it was revealed a lady in a dark blue dress. Her face was long and her hair dark and tight; she held a rosary in her hand. She went to Anne and bowed courteously. “Lady Anne Neville.”

Gathering her courage, Anne asked, “May I ask…”

“I am Lady Stafford,” the woman replied. “My husband and I are here to escort you to the Court under the order of Her Grace the Queen.”

Anne shivered as the shadow of the flame danced across Lady Stafford’s long face. “My Lord father—“

“His Lordship is already informed and he is on his way to London,” Lady Stafford said as she handed Anne a letter. Anne tore open the seal and read it. It was her father’s handwriting and signature. In the letter, he told her to meet him in London under the escort of Margaret Beaufort, Lady Stafford.

_Margaret Beaufort…so this is the woman who married young and gave birth to a son at age thirteen…she was even younger than me at the time…_

“Come, Lady Anne,” Margaret Beaufort said cordially. “My Lord husband and I will see you to London safely.”

“That’s very kind of you, Lady Stafford,” Anne said, trying to sound as natural as possible. She and Kathryn stepped into the litter they prepared for them; and the litter took off instantly.

“Are they taking us to the Tower?” Kathryn whispered as she held on to Anne. She had heard Lord Warwick mentioned about the Tower more than often.

“I don’t know,” Anne muttered. “Kathryn, will you pray with me?”

Kathryn nodded.

The two girls prayed together.

Neither of them could guess what is to happen tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 10

_Fotheringhay Castle_

“Anne is to marry the Prince of Wales,” the Dowager Duchess Cecily said evenly, as she handed the letter to her oldest son, Edward Duke of York. The letter was from the Queen, who cordially invited the Dowager Duchess and her three sons to attend the wedding ceremony in London. Edward passed the letter to George, who read it and then gave it to Richard.

Richard read the letter and refolded it, held it tightly in his hand.

George bowed to his mother and excused himself.

After George left, the chamber was full of silence until Richard spoke.

“How could he do this? Marrying his daughter to a monster?”

“Because it has to be done,” the Dowager Duchess replied. “Warwick, my nephew, knows what hand he must play.”

“But he is dying!” Edward argued. “What is the point of forming alliance with the—“

“Silence!” the Dowager Duchess gave Edward a glare. Some words were just safer not to be said. “I am tired, leave me now. Soon, we must depart for London to attend the wedding.”

Her two sons bowed and left.

***

_London_

Anne stared at herself in the mirror.

She and Kathryn were stopped on their way back to Middleham; they were escorted to London by Lady Stafford. In a litter with Kathryn, they did not stop to rest even for one night until they reached London. They were taken to the Tower, but were treated decently.

“What is happening?” Kathryn asked her constantly.

Anne could only shake her head. “I don’t know.”

They were placed under the care, or watch, of Lady Stafford. In her dark red gown and her hair piled up, she was tall and stiff. Although not yet thirty, she looked as if she was approaching fifty. Kathryn said that she was ancient. She made the two girls on their knees to pray with her day after day. She was not unkind, but Anne grew to fear her. The Queen at least smiled. This Lady Stafford’s face was made of stone.

After living with her in the Tower for days, Anne found her to be fiercely religious and extremely loyal to the Lancastrian royal family.

Her eyes may be closed most of her time while praying, but it was as if she knew the movement of the girls by heart.

Finally, after days of waiting, Anne was taken to see her father, Lord Warwick and her mother, the Countess. Kathryn was left behind with Lady Stafford.

In a fresh new gown, Anne greeted her father courteously, knowing she was being watched. To her relief, her father was not in chains like a prisoner.

“You are to be married,” Lord Warwick told her.

“To Prince Edward?” Anne asked. No, she would not dare to say Richard.

“No,” Lord Warwick shook his head. “You’re marrying Edward the Prince of Wales.”

So finally Prince Edward’s title was reinvested.

His marriage to Anne would be the final piece of puzzle to keep his status stabilized.

And Anne was to be the new Princess of Wales, the next Queen of England.

She smiled at her father and kissed his hand. Her heart, however, was not happy.

***

_Fotheringhay Castle_

Richard drank one goblet of wine after another. Each time he drank, his eyes glanced at the ring on his small finger, which prompted him to drink more.

As he poured another goblet, Edward came to his antechamber. “Out!” He ordered the servants, who bowed and left instantly.

The two brothers were alone.

Edward grabbed the goblet from Richard to stop him from drinking more. Richard ignored him and drank directly from the bottle instead.

“Stop this Dickon!” Edward rebuked. “You don’t want to end up like George.”

Indeed, George always relied to alcohol and wines for comfort. On his wedding night, he came to Isabel’s chamber dreadfully drunk and ended up consummated his marriage on the floor.

Richard stopped drinking and looked back at Edward; his eyes were bloodshot.

“Dickon, Lady Anne is in love with you. I saw it!” Edward reminded him of his failure. “If only you have done what I told you—convince her to stay and marry you and none of this would have happened! You shouldn’t let her go!”

Richard grabbed the goblet and threw it against the wall.

He pushed himself up from the chair and sauntered away from Edward.

“We must go to London to show our loyalty,” Edward continued.

“And watch Lady Anne marries that monster?” Richard said with a snarl. “You are cruel, Edward.”

“We do what we must.”

Richard seemed calmed down a bit. He looked at Edward and said, “We know what is going to happen eventually, the inevitable. By then, if we were to win, which we will, Lady Anne will be my wife. Had I married her when she was here, it will mar her reputation and anger Warwick! Either Lady Anne is a whore or I’m the one who forced her against her will. The Queen will use this as a reason to launch a war against us, for she always sees us as a threat. It will stir a war between us and Lancastrians with Warwick on _their_ side!”

Edward chuckled. “Well thought, brother. When we’re in London, you can keep your emotions under control, I assume?”

“Of course,” Richard replied evenly.

Edward snickered. The Queen certainly made the right choice by forming an alliance with Warwick, the most powerful and wealthy man of England; she had played the right pawn on the checkerboard. However, she made this move a bit too late.


	11. Chapter 11

_London_

Anne woke up with her eye twitching. It was her wedding day.

But no, she was not a blushing bride. When the Queen’s ladies came to gave her a bath and dress her hair, Anne felt like a sacrificial lamb. Kathryn stayed by her side and gave her support. However, the words she whispered in Anne’s ear did not make her feel any more secure.

“If you were to marry the Prince of Wales, why are they keeping us here?” Kathryn questioned. “Shouldn’t we be settled in the quarter near the Queen?”

“That Lady Stafford, why is she still here? Where is my Lady Countess?”

“Lady Isabel, is she coming to London? How come we hear no word from her?”

Anne tried to ignore her questions and tried to think positively. After all, her father was here.

The Queen needed her father’s alliance and support.

She would marry the Prince of Wales and gave him sons.

After King Henry dies, she would be the next Queen. And their son would rule England after them.

The Queen’s ladies dressed her in a gown of glitter gold. Her hair was plaited and she wore a tall headdress. On her neck donned a gold necklace, a gift from the Queen. She followed Lady Stafford out of the Tower with Kathryn by her side. Her heart was pounding and her hand could not stop shaking. Once she walked out of the Tower, the brightness of the sun hurt her eyes.

Lady Stafford and her husband took her and Kathryn to the Westminster Abbey for her wedding.

It was at the Westminster Abbey she finally saw and reunited with her sister Isabel, who bowed to her. It made Anne a little uncomfortable.

To her disappointment, Isabel was there merely as a witness; not her maid of honor.

Instead, it was the cold, stiff, and ancient Lady Stafford who carried her train.

Kathryn was led away. As Warwick’s illegitimate daughter with no title or status in court, she had no right to walk with the future Princess of Wales down the aisle.

And thus, Anne was mercilessly thrown into a strange arena with all her family—her father, mother, sister, and confidante—taken away. Her eyes stared straight ahead, trying not to look at the people around her. As she walked down the aisle, she caught a glimpse of a very familiar face.

Richard?

Was he here as well?

No, she could not think that.

She was to be a married woman. Thinking about any other man other than her husband would be a sin and treason.

Taking small step, one by one.

Finally, she came to the altar. It was a journey too long and too short.

Anne knelt beside her betrothed, Edward the Prince of Wales, whom she met for the first time.

Under her thick veil, she tried to look at him. But he was looking down at his hands, so it was hard to see his face. The Archbishop began to ceremony.

Edward Prince of Wales and Lady Anne Neville exchanged vows and rings.

They were now married.

Lady Anne Neville became Princess of Wales.

Once the ceremony was over, the Queen’s ladies removed her veil and this time, Anne could take a good look at the Prince, now her husband.

He had blond hair and blue eyes; his skin was fair. He seemed small for his age. Before Anne could stand, he jumped up to his feet as if he was ready to play.

“Edouard!” The Queen hissed at him while the King said nothing.

Prince Edouard turned and saw Anne. He acted like he did not know that Anne was next to him all this time. He studied Anne’s face for a long while. Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing and sprung to hug her. He moved so quickly that he almost knocked Anne to the ground.

Although three years older than Anne, he was about one foot shorter than her.

Lord Warwick and the Countess sighed in relief. The marriage was going to be a success since the Prince seemed to be so fond of Anne at the first sight.

Dragging Anne by the hand, Prince Edouard rushed out of the Westminster Abbey. With her train and headdress, Anne could hardly keep up his pace. Twice, she nearly tripped and fell. Prince Edouard was completely careless. All he seemed to care about was the food and fun after the ceremony.

***

The wedding festival was grand.

Anne and Prince Edouard sat next to the King and Queen. Food and wine was placed before her, but she could hardly eat. The King stared blindly at the food while the Queen smiled and spoke to the newlywed couple from time to time. Prince Edouard played and ate the food, as if he had never seen food in his life.

He drank one goblet after another.

He took one piece of meat and then threw his knife across, which nearly hit Anne in the eye.

What was with this Prince Edouard?

He was eighteen, but behaved like a three-year old child!

Suddenly, the Prince yelped, “I need to stool! I need to stool!”

All the guests stopped talking and eating; their attention turned to Prince Edouard.

“Edouard! Sit down!” the Queen rebuked under her breathe.

“But I need to stool!” Prince Edouard yelled even louder and hopped unto his chair. To everyone’s shock, he started to unlaced his breeches.

The King paid no attention. The Queen leaped from her throne and tried to hold her son down until the grooms and stewards came to them.

“I peed on myself! I peed on myself!” Prince Edouard continued to yell. His voice was high-pitched.

Angered and frustrated, the Queen slapped her son across the face. That quieted him down for a moment. Soon, however, he struggled free from the restraint of the servants and removed his breeches before the eyes of all guests. He ran out of the Great Hall completely half naked.

Anne was shaking after seeing all this.

So this was her husband.

To relieve the circumstances, the Queen had the Master Steward release the jesters. These dwarfish fools made faces and laughed. Soon, the guests returned to their merry moods.

Everyone was laughing, except for Anne.

A moment later, the Queen announced the end of the fest. The bride and groom were to be escorted to consummate their marriage.

To Anne, the ground was disappearing under her feet.

***

In her nightshift with her hair down, Anne was led to the bed by her mother the Countess and Lady Stafford. No, she did not ask what to expect on marital consummation. She was only praying if Prince Edouard wouldn’t end up killing her.

In bed, she waited for him to join her.

Soon, the Queen walked into the chamber with Prince Edouard, who finally calmed down. The King was not there. One could assume that he was not well again.

The bed curtain was lifted and the Queen saw her son slipped into the bed next to Anne. The bed curtain fell.

The Queen, the Countess, Lady Stafford, and a handful of witnesses waited for the sound of marital consummation.

Nothing was heard.

Then, they heard a scream; it was Anne.

The screaming continued until she jumped out of the bed with her whole body trembling. Prince Edouard jumped out of the bed after her, with a snake in his hand, laughing hysterically.

“Edouard!” The Queen shrieked as the snake slipped out of his hand. Prince Edouard ran out of the chamber to chase after it.

Anne was coaxed back into the bed, waiting for her husband to join her again.

But he never did. Perhaps it was a blessing.

And thus this was her wedding night.


	12. Part II: Red Princess

_To My Beloved cousin Tristan,_

_The maiden had found her unicorn after months of waiting. Day after day, the unicorn ran around the maiden and done nothing more. The witch pressures the maiden to chase the unicorn, for which the maiden attempted after shedding many tears. Yet, the unicorn only caused the maiden much pain and sorrow – and the maiden remained the same as she was born. Facing the pressure from the witch and the neglect from the unicorn, the maiden has grown pale and weak…_

“…the maiden is tortured by the unicorn, who is cruel and mercurial,” Edward Duke of York mumbled dreamily as Jane Shore, a seductive lady with red hair, scribed the letter on his bareback. “The unicorn beats the maiden until she begs for mercy. Fearing the wrath from the witch, the maiden hid her wounds from everyone. Only when she was alone, praying in the chapel, did she revealed her pain and suffering to the Virgin Mary and the saints, who turned their faces away…The maiden is all alone in the gilded cage with the monstrous unicorn…”

Jane signed the letter: _Forever yours, Isolde_.

She handed Edward the letter and rolled off his body with laughter.

To her, it was a wicked yet hilarious love game.

Before Kathryn departed with Anne, Edward had made her his lover and spy. Naively, she harbored false hope that Edward would divorce Elizabeth Woodville and make her his new duchess and eventually queen. Under his instruction, Kathryn had secretly written letters to him from London using code names to inform him the activities at the court, especially on the marital life of Prince Edouard and Anne. In her letters, Anne was the “maiden”; Prince Edouard was “the unicorn”; Queen Margaret was “the witch”. Kathryn was, of course, “Isolde”; and Edward was “Tristan”.

If Kathryn believed that Edward truly loved her, then she was a fool.

Edward had his way with women; with each lover, he had an agenda. Neither was he sexually faithful to any woman. Soon after he returned from London, he started to bed Jane Shore, a merchant’s daughter who could scribe but not educated. Knowing the Woodville’s affiliation to the Lancastrians, Edward could not risk sharing his letters or schemes with Elizabeth. So instead, he spent nights with Jane and had her read the letters from Kathryn and scribed another copy of the letter, using his words, in Kathryn’s name.

Jane had a beautiful voice.

She wrote the letter well, copying Kathryn’s handwriting.

Edward would then show the letter to Richard.

***

_London_

Anne woke up alone. Rubbing her eyes, she crept out from the cover and lifted the bed curtain.

In her face was a bear, growling at her.

Anne screamed.

The bear laughed hysterically. Removing his mask, Prince Edouard jumped up and down in victory. Holding her hand against her heart, Anne tried to catch her breath. Watching him—her husband—running around like a child, Anne did not know either it was a blessing or a curse.

Kathryn no longer shared a bed with her. The Queen had appointed her the chief lady-in-waiting to the Princess of Wales and given her a title. On the order of Queen Margaret, Anne shared the bed with Prince Edouard every night until she conceives a child. Kathryn slept in the chamber next to hers. Her new duty was to keep an eye on Anne and to report to the Queen on the “activities” between Anne and Prince Edouard.

So far, her report had always been: nothing happened.

Well, something did happen.

Night after night, Prince Edouard made Anne stayed up to play with him. He gave her a wooden sword so that they could duel; and Prince Edouard must win or he’d throw a tantrum. He also had his toy soldiers, which he showed proudly to Anne. He taught her how to place them in order and train them. Other times, he made Anne drill. If Anne messed up the drill, then he’d get mad. He’d tear his hair and start to break things.

And thus to keep him calm, Anne had to comply with his immature, playful demands.

Sometimes, his games nearly killed Anne. One night, he asked Anne to role play the knight and the maiden with him. Based on a tale he heard in France, Prince Edouard made Anne play the maiden trapped in the tower; and he played the knight to her rescue. He had Anne knelt on the bed while he crawled to her on his knees. When he approached closer, Anne was to untie her ribbon and set her hair loose. She’d let down her hair from the bed, and Prince Edouard would grab her hair and climb onto the bed—like how the knight asked the maiden to “let down her hair so he can climb up there” in the story.

Anne thought it was amusing at first, until the moment he grabbed her hair and pulled. The pain from the scalp was the least of her worry.

He nearly broke her neck.

That incident left her shaken for days.

And thus this was her new life as Princess of Wales; it was certainly not how any girl envisioned in a fairy tale.

***

Everyone in the Court knew the marriage between the Prince of Wales and the younger daughter of Warwick was to cement the most unlikely alliance between two former enemies: Warwick and the Queen.

The entire court also knew that this so-called alliance was not fully cemented.

The wedding night of Prince Edouard and Lady Anne did not turn out well. The couple still had yet consummated their marriage.

To keep people from talking, the Queen had troubadours writing songs and poetries to spread the love story of Prince Edouard and Lady Anne Neville:

_The fair and beauteous Lady Anne Neville came to court. In a beautiful red dress, she caught the eyes of Prince Edouard. He looked at no one else. The Queen tried to negotiate a marriage between the Prince and a French princess. Yet, Prince Edouard stubbornly refused for his heart was set on Lady Anne. He loved Lady Anne so much that he had her brought to London and begged the Queen to allow him to marry her. Touched by the power of true love, the Queen yielded. And thus Prince Edouard wedded his beautiful bride._

At the same time, the troubadours blackened the names of the York brothers: _the whore, the fool, and the nun_.

The whore was Edward; the fool was George; and the nun was Richard.

***

“Foolish woman!” Lord Warwick cursed under his breath while drinking another goblet of wine, hoping to bring himself comfort and to control his cough.

He meant, of course, the Queen.

Margaret of Anjou looked intelligent and capable. Her eyes were fierce and she spoke with determination. Her action, however, demonstrated otherwise. Lord Warwick could not understand certain decisions she made. Women, he said to himself, should never be involved in the matter of states.

After Prince Edouard was reinstated as Prince of Wales and married, he remained in London instead of moving to Ludlow Castle par tradition. Despite being in the next line to the English throne, he still spoke to his mother in French and preferred to write his name as “Edouard” instead of “Edward”. The Queen had yet made any arrangement hinting the newly-wed couple to have their own household. The young Prince Edouard, behaving like a child, remained at his mother’s side during the day.

Anne was totally neglected.

It was clear that until the marriage was consummated, the young couple would not be living at Ludlow.

And thus, on one hand, the Queen made it obvious that the young couple had yet consummated their marital bed and at the same time, spread the story of true love between her son and Lady Anne.

It could not be more ridiculous.

Now people were wondering if Prince Edouard was gay or that he was impotent.

The only positive outcome was that by now, no one doubted the Prince’s legitimacy anymore. Based on his mercurial behavior and his lack of interest in women, he was indeed the King’s son.

Queen Margaret’s interfering in his daughter’s marital life was only one of Warwick’s worries. Soon after Anne married Prince Edouard, Warwick ordered house arrest of the Duke of York. He knew the young Duke’s ambition and passion to avenge his father, the late Duke of York, who was rumored to be poisoned by the Queen. But the Queen released him. Instead, under the advice of her close friend Lady Jacquetta of Rivers, she had George of York stayed in London under watch. To her, the Duke of York was a frivolous young man who only cared for whoring. George, on the other hand, seemed to be the most scheming of the York brothers. On top of that, he was married to Warwick’s older daughter. Queen Margaret was afraid that Warwick might jump back to York’s side with the intention to put George on the throne since Duke Edward had no son.

And thus Duke Edward of York left London safely with his mother the Dowager Duchess and his youngest brother Lord Richard.

She mentioned to Warwick that she hoped that Lady Isabel can help Anne on her marital issues. However, Lady Isabel could not come to see Anne without the Queen’s permission, which was hardly given. Alas, the Queen also was afraid that the two sisters might scheme something together or spy for George.

Coughing again, Warwick wondered if he made a mistake on marrying Anne to Prince Edouard. King Henry, as mad as he was, showed no sign of dying. He could still live for another five years. Until then, Anne would not be Queen of England. The real person who held the power behind the throne was Margaret of Anjou.

He, Richard Neville Earl of Warwick, on the other hand, was dying. Staring at the blood stain on his handkerchief, Warwick knew death of approaching.

He had determined to live to the day to see his daughter crowned Queen of England.

But want and have are never the same.


	13. Chapter 13

Anne was occupied with her embroidery when she was summoned by the Queen.

She let out a sigh and went to the Queen’s quarter to see her mother-in-law; Kathryn was behind her. The two curtsied deeply when they came before Queen Margaret, who sat rigidly on her throne. Her eyes were cold as ice.

Anne knew the reason perfectly.

Queen Margaret gave her ladies a nod and they immediately retreated from the Queen’s presence along with Kathryn. Anne was left alone with the Queen.

“You know why I called you here,” the Queen said without emotion, perhaps she was trying hard to hold down her anger and frustration. “Tell me, what is going on between you and my son?”

“I…I…” Anne did not know how to answer. “We…we have…”

“Nothing!” the Queen interrupted her. “There is nothing happening between you and my son! Why? What exactly do you find the Prince unsatisfying?”

“No, Your Grace,” Anne tried to explain. “The Prince has been kind. As his wife, I must comply with everything he asks for, which I did.”

“Then why?” Queen Margaret could not even bring herself to speak those words. She rose from her throne and walked closer to Anne. Lowered her voice, she whispered harshly, “Before the wedding, you had paid your sister Lady Isabel a visit. Have you not?”

Anne nodded. “Yes, Your Grace.”

“Your father explained that you were there because of her confinement and yet you stayed long after her confinement. Why is that?”

Not knowing where the Queen was leading to, Anne replied, “My sister Lady Isabel’s child was a stillbirth and she was inconsolable. So, I stayed by her side.”

“Truly?” the Queen raised an eyebrow. “The Duke of York was also in the household, wasn’t he?”

“He was,” Anne answered honestly. “But I hardly saw him.”

“And his youngest brother Lord Richard was there as well?”

“He was.”

“Which one of the York brothers did you have your heart set on?”

Anne gasped. “No, Your Grace! My time was spent with my sister and the Dowager Duchess. I never set my heart on any man other than the Prince.”

Queen Margaret was silent for a while. Then she said, “When I married the King, I was only a year older than you. It hasn’t been easy, but what has to be done must be done. Use your head and fulfill your duties! Without the consummation, your marriage is not valid! As long as I wish it, I can have my son divorce you easily! But I am fond of you, and you do have value to me. Keep that in your mind. Now, go!”

Anne nodded and retreated from the Queen’s presence.

***

When she walked out of the Queen’s quarter, she kept her dignity and showed no emotion. Her face was still.

However, as she approached closer to her quarter, she began to shake. Tears streamed from her eyes. Once she stepped into her quarter and the door closed behind her, Anne sank to the ground and wept her heart out.

Kathryn was only steps away from her, watched as Anne cried desperately. Growing up together, she never saw Anne thus defeated and helpless.

Once Anne calmed down a little, Kathryn approached her with her handkerchief. “My lady…”

But Anne heard none of it. She fled to her chamber and bolted the door. 

It took her along while to stop crying. After shedding all her tears and sorrow, Anne grabbed a pen and started scribing.

_My dear sister Lady Isabel,_

_Please come see me! I need you, please! I am so lone and so miserable._

_Anne_

Gathering all her strength, she folded and sealed the letter. Pushed the door open, she sauntered to Kathryn; her eyes still red from crying. “Kathryn, can you find a way to deliver this to my sister?”

Kathryn nodded with sympathy. Taking the letter, she pulled Anne into her arms and held her dearly.

The jealousy she once harbored was gone now. What was there to be envy of?

 _Don’t worry, my lady_ , Kathryn thought. _It will all be over soon. I will be Queen of England and I will give you my blessing to marry Lord Richard._

***

A few days later, Lady Isabel came; along with her was their mother, the Countess.

Her mother and sister bowed to her since she was the Princess of Wales. Anne could not be more desperate. Princess of Wales…no she was only a prisoner here in a gilded cage. If she were truly the Princess of Wales, then why was she still here in London instead of Ludlow? Under the watch of the Queen, Anne had no freedom. Her only hope of freedom or any sort of alleviation would be the consummation her marriage.

But it takes two to make it happen.

Prince Edouard remained a child who only cared to play games.

And Anne did not have much understanding on the marital relationship other than fulfill her husband’s wishes.

Love…

She had wondered what love is over and over again, particularly after Richard confessed his love to her at Dowager Duchess Cecily’s household.

_Love…what is it?_

Yes, she did ask Richard that.

And he did show her, some of it.

It scared her, but it also fascinated her.

Now, she regretted for not accepting his pursue and proposal. Had she allowed him to love her and marry him, she wouldn’t be here living in such a misery. Life as a peasant girl was perhaps better than life as Princess of Wales.

“Mother…Bella…” Anne did not know how to begin.

“Anne,” the Countess approached and asked, “Tell me, what is happening? What’s going on with you and the Prince?”

Anne sat and told them everything. How the Prince was mercurial; how the Prince only cared to play; how the Prince threw tantrums at her when she refused to comply; and she told them aside from childishness, how his weird games had caused her pain and suffering.

The Countess and Lady Isabel listened in disbelief.

“Oh Anne, forgive me. I did not know,” Isabel said with sympathy.

“Bella!” The Countess rebuked her older daughter; she was not as sympathetic. “Anne, you must do your duty. Otherwise, your marriage will be annulled and you will bring shame to our family!”

“But how?” Anne shook her head in frustration. “You think I don’t know that? The Queen reminds me almost every day. But it takes two people, my husband and I, to make it happen. How can I perform my conjugal duty without his interest? He does not care for me. All he does is playing with his toy soldiers and all these bizarre role-playing.”

She was way too embarrassed to give them any more details.

“Anne, listen to me,” Isabel said. “It wasn’t easy for George and me either. We did not conceive until three years of our marriage. As his wife, you must make him understand—“

“Understand? The Prince doesn’t even listen to me, or to anyone! And how can I make him understand the things I don’t even understand?”

The Countess and Lady Isabel gave each other a look.

“Anne, think of it as…a key and a lock,” the Countess explained to her. “You are the lock and he is the key. In marital bed, you two are to fit together as one like the lock and the key.”

“It may be little awkward at first,” Isabel added. “But soon, you will grow used to it.”

“It’s not even that! The Prince…at times he behaves as if he does not know what is happening around him…if he lost his temper, either he hits people or run away. I have endured enough humiliation!”

“The Prince is three years old than you and he is not a child!” The Countess corrected her.

Yet, after hearing from Anne and based on what they witnessed at the wedding festival, neither the Countess nor Lady Isabel could offer Anne any better advice.

***

The problem was not Anne but the Prince.

Queen Margaret knew that.

The Prince was indeed the King’s son.

She reminisced the time she first came to England as a young princess bride. She was quite fond of King Henry, and he was not unkind to her.

But he had no interest in her or in women.

It took years for their marriage to be consummated.

And it did not occur without help.

It was a dark secret she held for years.

The rumor of her son’s illegitimacy was not without origin.

Prince Edouard—legitimate or not, sane or not—was hers. She, as his mother and Queen, would do anything within her power to see her son inherit the throne. As for Anne…

The Queen debated if she should have this marriage annulled and then renegotiate the French marriage. Then again, with her son being like this, a different bride would not make any difference.

Without an heir, her son’s position could not be secure even if he were to be King of England.

Any heir better than no heir.

After much deliberating, she summoned Edmund Beaufort Duke of Somerset.  


	14. Chapter 14

It was the day of Saint Valentine, a day to celebrate love. 

In her finest dress bestowed by the Queen, Anne attended the Mass at Westminster Abbey. After the Mass was the banquet and fest.

Music, singing, dancing, and games—the whole court was filled with joy and laughter.

When Anne made her entrance on Prince Edouard’s arm, the Court applauded. Yet, the applause was rather modest. Anne looked around; she could not help but disappointed seeing married couple drinking and laughing together. Looking at Prince Edouard, she was already blessed if he could keep his sanity for the moment.

Among all the guests at the festival, there was a young man in his early twenties. He studied Anne for afar and his eyes never left her.

Anne was in a red dress; on her neck was a fine ruby necklace. All of them were gifts from the Queen.

“My Lord Duke of Somerset,” a voice called behind him. The young man—Edmund Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset—turned and found himself facing Sir Thomas Stanley.

“My Lord Stanley,” Edmund Beaufort greeted.

“Your eyes should look elsewhere,” Sir Stanley warned playfully. “Don’t forget your fate of your lord father.”

Edmund gave him a hateful glare and then consumed a goblet of wine.

Sitting next to the Queen and Anne, Prince Edouard was too drinking wine, one goblet after another. Apparently, he was enjoying the effects of the sweet wine; he began to laugh out loud and then make howling sounds. Anne, as usual, pretended not to notice. Although drunk, the Prince hardly paid any attention to Anne. Instead he ran after the jesters.

Anne was left alone, as usual.

She quietly watched as other couples danced.

“Your Grace, the Duke of Somerset,” a valet introduced Edmund Beaufort to her. Before her stood a tall, young man with light brown hair; he bowed deeply. She gave him her hand to kiss. His demeanor and movement were strikingly different from those of Prince Edouard.

“My Lord Duke,” Anne greeted.

“It’s sad to see you sitting her all alone on the fest of St. Valentine,” he said to her politely. “Would your Grace be honored to dance with me?”

It really had been quite a long time since Anne saw a friendly face, especially that of a man.

She looked at the Queen, who gave her a confirming smile and a nod of approval.

Anne gave him her hand and the two joined other couples and danced.

Edmund Beaufort danced well. His feet were rather small for a man. He danced gracefully, and yet Anne knew that he was also a fierce warrior in the battlefield. Her father once told her about this Edmund Beaufort. Like other Beauforts, he was a legitimate royal descendant but not eligible to inherit the crown. And like other Beauforts, he was very loyal to the House of Lancaster. His father, the second Duke of Somerset, was the rumored lover of Queen Margaret and the real father of Prince Edouard. Anne heard that rumor too; but she was more than sure that it isn’t true, for Prince Edouard was nothing like this Edmund Beaufort.

Dancing with Edmund Beaufort, Anne reminisced that day when she came to Court to attend the banquet honoring the Queen’s return from exile. Here, she danced with Richard.

_Those dark eyes…_

_Dark hair…_

She danced with him again at the Dowager Duchess’ household.

_The touch of his hand…_

_Love…_

That thought gave her a horrifying chill.

How could she, a married woman, think about another man?

She stopped her dance step abruptly and then hastily gave Edmund Beaufort a curtsey. She quickly returned to her seat and started to consume one goblet of wine after another. Soon, her face was red and her eyes were heavy.

Everything became blurry.

But Anne did not stop drinking.

All she wanted was to be in another world.

She didn’t even notice when two individuals escorted her back to her chamber.

***   
Anne wasn’t alone in her chamber. Prince Edouard was there too, in bed. He already passed out.

She wasn’t far from it either for she could barely stand still without assistance.

Her mind was drifting elsewhere when two hands unlaced her dress. She made no protest as these two hands pulled her dress off her. Getting out of her dress made her breath easier. She stumbled onto the bed and lied down.

She could’ve closed her eyes and slept for centuries.

…Had it not for that pair of hands crept up to her legs and then to her thighs.

Anne gasped and opened her eyes at instant.

Those hands were hard and cold—they were not the hands of her lady-in-waiting.

Pulling back, Anne kicked the owner of those hands in the face. The intruder groaned in pain and fell on the ground. Gathering all her strength, she climbed out of the bed and searched for something—anything—to defend herself.

Something sharp…

Perhaps a dagger?

The intruder pulled himself onto his feet and splint to Anne. He pushed her back onto the bed and Anne struggled against him. All she wanted was for him to leave her alone. She tried to scream and she did; but no one heard her.

She didn’t even notice that she fell onto the body of her husband, Prince Edouard, who was still unconscious.

He was out, but the snake that he kept under his pillow was not.

The worm crept out and crawled into that intruder’s neck.

The intruder panicked and backed off immediately, trying to get the serpent out of his doublet.

Covering her exposed breasts, Anne tried to catch her breath. All she saw was the back shadow of that intruder who then disappeared.

Throwing on her robe, Anne used all her strength to open the chamber’s door. It was a long while did Kathryn came to her side.

Anne fell into her arm and sobbed.

Holding Anne against her chest, Kathryn looked around. She noticed a ring on the ground. She had Anne sat in a chair nearby and went to pick up that ring.

“Anne…”

Anne’s face was ashen. Nothing came out of her mouth.

***

If one were to think Kathryn an empty-headed girl who was lacked of intelligence and wit, then one was wrong.

She was, after all, a daughter of Earl of Warwick.

All these days in London, she was not only preoccupied with the Queen’s duties. She took the time to observe all these people around her and learned the secret passages of the Windsor Castle. Granted, as the lady-in-waiting to the future Queen of England, there were things that she could gain access to as long as she had the guts.

Initially, she felt slightly guilty and apologetic to Anne for being Edward Duke of York’s spy and conspirator. Using code words, Kathryn told her lover everything. Thus, the Duke of York knew by far the marriage between Lady Anne Neville and Prince Edouard was by far a sham. However, now, she was more than willingly to be Edward’s spy.

She knew it would be worth it.

In the end, she would be Queen of England.

And Anne’s misery would end.

That intruder who tried to violate Anne—Kathryn was determined to learn his identity.

Who would have the guts to violate the Princess of Wales?

That ring was rich and delicate. That man must be a member of the royal house.

But who?


	15. Chapter 15

_My Beloved Tristan,_

_On the day the whole kingdom was celebrating love, the maiden and the unicorn attended the fest held by the witch. At the fest, the maiden was shunned aside while the unicorn ran around with the dwarfs. The poor maiden was all alone until the ogre came to her and invited her to dance. The ogre is a young man with light brown hair and small feet. The maiden danced with the ogre but then abruptly left his side. She spent rest of the fest consuming the sweet wines._

_The night after the fest was horrifying. The maiden was so inebriated that she had to be assisted when escorted back to the forest, where the unicorn was already there. As usual, we left the maiden in the forest with the unicorn. However, soon after, I found the maiden wondering around outside of the forest completely lost and shattered. Her face was ashen and her gown was slightly torn. Her hands could not stop shaking. I assisted the maiden back to the forest, where the unicorn was sound asleep._

_I brought my sweet maiden some water and a pain draught to calm her down. Once she was asleep, I went to the door of the secret passage from the forest—both the forests of the witch and the maiden have a secret passage. Following the secret passage, I quietly came before the witch’s forest. I managed to have a glimpse and saw the witch speaking to the ogre, a man by the name Edmund. He was groaning in pain and the witch angrily rebuked him. The ogre apologized to the witch, seeking for her mercy._

_The witch mentioned something regards to the ogre’s father and ordered the ogre not to repeat this incident to anyone as long as he live—she made the ogre swore by Holy Book. The ogre replied to the witch that he would do anything to serve her as his father had done._

_The witch was enraged and ordered him out of her sight._

_Hearing this, I went back to the maiden’s forest through the secret passage. The maiden was fine. The unicorn was the same—in bed with his nightshirt buttoned to his neck._

_Forever yours,_

_Isolde_

***

Jane Shore was still reading the letter when Edward stopped her. He grabbed the letter back and ordered Jane Shore out of his chamber; he didn’t even give her time to get dressed. Wrapped herself in her sheet and shift, Jane ran out of his chamber.

Reading the letter to himself, Edward burst out laughing. He had not forgotten his father’s last words to him before his death.

_The Queen and the Duke of Somerset…treason…the Prince…is not…_

The King had no interest in women; neither was the Prince of Wales.

And thus history repeats itself.

No, he could not prove the Queen’s unfaithfulness and attempt to beget an heir with another man. But, here it was clear that the Queen attempted to make Anne beget an heir by another man. This was treason.

The Queen had planned beautifully. The Beauforts were too Lancastrian descendants. By having both Anne and Prince Edouard drunk and lying in their bed, if there was a child conceived, Anne would swear that the child was conceived in the bed of her husband. Probably, she wouldn’t even know the involvement of Edmund Beaufort. Even if she did know, she would have to keep it silent for her own sake.

Only things did not go as planned.

Edward now knew that his patience had paid off.

Now it was all left to Warwick, who would breathe his last very soon.

Once Warwick was dead, the war would happen. He would have Edmund Beaufort captured and force him to confess of his conspiracy with the Queen. The Queen would be disgraced and declared guilty of treason. Then, he would declare himself the rightful King of England. As for George, the natural turncoat, he would have his lady mother Duchess Cecily write to him and promise him the wealth of the Beauchamp estate. George was most greedy man he ever knew. Money was always a good bargain. As for the Countess, he would have her attainted and all her lands confiscated. All of it was for the revenge—for calling him a “notorious man with his flock of whore”.

As for Anne, he would keep his promise to his youngest brother Dickon and have her married to him.

He thought of Kathryn too. Since she had proven herself to be a useful tool, he would give her title and lands and continue to use her. But make her Queen of England by her side, never. His wife Elizabeth was fertile and a son would be on his way sooner or later. On top of that, he was counting on the support from the Woodville relations.

He, Edward Duke of York, was born lucky.

Things will always work out his way.

His father, the Richard Duke of York, was poisoned by the Queen after knowing the dark truth.

Soon, he would avenge his father.

***

That incident was a nightmare for Anne.

When she woke up the next morning, she couldn’t recall what exactly had happened, except for it was frightening and traumatic. She continued her duties and daily rituals—embroidering with the Queen, walking in the garden with her ladies, reading the Book of Hours, and writing to her sister Isabel. Staring at her parchment, she didn’t even know what to scribe.

What shall she tell her sister?

The only thing that she managed to write was the health of her father Lord Warwick. How was he?

Isabel replied saying that father is ill.

Hearing that, Anne immediately asked the Queen for the permission to see her father.

The Queen said no.

“Your father is fine, Anne,” she told her. “I have the finest physician looking after his health.”

“But, I…”

“But what? Your father is a very important man, Anne. I am counting on his support and power to stabilize my throne. You think I’d rather have him dead?”

“No, Your Grace.”

“Then you should have nothing to fear,” the Queen said coldly. “You should have your heart and consideration on your husband instead of your father. I believe your father’s health would certainly improve if he sees his daughter presenting him his grandson.”

Anne’s face reddened.

“Yes, Your Grace,” she murmured and retreated from her presence.

On her way back to her chambers, she saw him—Edmund Beaufort. Her body was shaken and her pace became faster. She brushed by, ignoring his bow.

She ran back to her chamber and bolted the door. She broke down crying on her bed.

“Anne?” A voice said behind her. “Why are you crying?”

Wiping her tears, Anne turned and saw her husband Prince Edouard standing not too far away. “How did you get in here?”

She bolted the door.

“I know a secret way,” he replied. Climbing onto the bed, he asked, “Why are you crying?”

“My father is ill,” Anne mumbled. “But I am not allowed to see him.”

Tears fell from her eyes.

“Anne, don’t cry,” Prince Edouard comforted her. He was like a kind little boy. “If you want to see your father, I know a way.”

“You do?” Anne was surprised.

“Shh, don’t let anyone know that I know,” Prince Edouard gave her a smile with full confidence. “I will help you see your father.”

Taking her hand, the young Prince dragged her off the bed and handed her a red cloak. “Come, let’s go.”

He opened the door to the secret passage and led the way. Anne crossed herself and followed him. Whatever the come out, only God knows.

Miraculously, he successfully led her to out of the Warwick Castle.

Anne hungrily inhaled the air of freedom.

She followed Prince Edouard to the stables. He smacked the sleeping stable boy awake and whispered, “I need you to do something for me. Lead the way, take us to the house where Warwick is.”

The stable boy was only about one year or two younger than Anne. Hearing the name “Warwick”, he shuddered. “No…not a chance. By the order of the Queen…”

At this moment, Anne stepped forward. “I am the future Queen. If you were to keep this a secret, you will be rewarded richly.” Then she said, “Please, he’s my father. I just want to see him. Just once.”

From her pocket, she found a ring—the ring left in her chamber by the intruder. Nothing made her happier to get rid of this item. She placed it into the stable boy’s palm. “Please.”

The stable boy finally nodded. He gave them two horses and led the way.

***

When they came to Warwick’s manor, Anne dismounted quickly and pounded on the gate.

“Who’s there?” the guards at the gate questioned.

Anne did not state her identity. Instead, she pulled off the hood and revealed her face. “Let me in,” she ordered.

The guard nodded.

Anne sprint her way into the manor to see her father as Prince Edouard and the stable boy waited outside. She grabbed a maid and ordered her to show her way to her lord father. The maid led them to Warwick’s bedchamber.

To her shock, her father—once a strong warrior who can conquer anything—was sick, thin, and pale. He could not stop coughing and there were blood on his handkerchief.

He was dying.

Her mother the Countess was by his side, but she kept her distance.

Consumption…

“Lady Mother,” Anne muttered.

The Countess looked up and gasped. “Anne, what are you doing here?”

Weakly, Lord Warwick turned his face and saw his daughter. Before Anne could approach any closer, the Countess stopped her.

“Father…Bella told me that you are ill…I have to come to see you…”

“Does…does she know that you are here?” Warwick asked followed by another series of coughs. The Countess handed him a goblet of wine.

“No father.” Anne shook her head.

“That is good,” he murmured. “Has the Prince been kind to you?”

“He has,” Anne answered honestly.

“Do you love him?”

“I…I don’t know…”

“Anne, my daughter, when you married the Prince, I vowed to live until the day you are crowned Queen of England. But God has his other plans…once I die, _she_ will initiate a war…”

“I don’t understand…”

“ _She_ will do anything to protect her lamb!” Warwick said using all his strength. “The first threat she will get rid of…will be York…But she is no match for York…not without my support!”

Anne was speechless.

“What shall I do then? And Bella?”

Sitting up, Lord Warwick asked her bluntly, “You and the Prince, have you consummated your marriage?”

Blushed, Anne replied, “No.”

“That is good,” Lord Warwick seemed to be relieved. “If Lancaster were to win, you are the Princess of Wales and have your marriage consummated immediately. If York were to win, you are not the Prince’s true wife and a mere victim of her ambition. Commit to no one, until there is a clear winner. Then, show your undying loyalty to the winning side—give that man anything a woman can give.”

That man…Anne knew who he was referring to.

Lord Warwick’s eyes remained on her until she gave him a nod, showing her acknowledgement.

Her father coughed again and then gasped the word, “Go!”

Holding back her tears, Anne turned to leave. Before she left, she looked back at her parents.

This was the last time she saw her father.

Wiping away her tears, she left the manor and rejoined her husband and the stable boy.

Quietly, the three returned to the Windsor Castle.

***

The next morning, Warwick died.


	16. Chapter 16

Since the day of Warwick’s death, the dark clouds covert the sky and rain hadn’t stopped.

The King’s madness worsened. Before, he had a moment of lucidity here and there. Now, he stayed in his chamber, where he ordered no light. He spoke to no one except to his iron cross. It was the Queen who organized the funeral for Warwick. The two Neville sisters, Isabel and Anne, wept quietly at the funeral. George stood silently; his eyes, however, roamed elsewhere. The Countess stood with her daughters with her eyes red. Anne was at a loss; she didn’t know what she’d do without her father.

Prince Edouard stood and tilted his head to have a good look at Warwick’s dead body.

He let out a strange giggle.

Anne hardly cared.

The first day after her father’s death, the Queen had ordered her to live apart from Edouard.

Would the Queen have her son divorce her soon?

***

Warwick’s alliance to the Queen was shaky and suspicious to begin with. Many of the Queen’s allies and Lancastrian supporters, namely Edmund Beaufort and Sir Henry Stafford, found such alliance untrustworthy. The most precarious, unreliable one was George of York. By blood, he was York; by marriage, he was with Warwick; the only links that bind him to the Lancastrians were Warwick and wealth the Queen bestowed him.

But as long as Warwick was alive, George would not dare to turn against the Lancastrians; neither would Edward Duke of York would dare to claim the English throne.

Now that he was dead.

“Your Grace, we must act!” Edmund Beaufort said to the Queen. “York cannot be trusted. Sooner or later he will attack!”

The Queen bit her lips. “And who shall I send? Warwick, as much as I have hated him, had been a capable military strategist. Without him, who shall I send to the battlefield to defeat York?”

Edmund fell onto his knees. “Your Grace, allow me to fight in your honor. I will defeat York for the House of Lancaster!”

Queen Margaret nodded. “Go. Take all the men you need. Bring me back the head of York.”

Edmund kissed her hand and left in pride.

He would prove himself his father’s son: the best warrior in England and a loyal support of Lancaster.

And he would clear his family’s name. People would remember him as the man who defeated York, not the son of the man who was accused of committing adultery with the Queen.

***

As Edmund Beaufort was arming his men, Edward Duke of York was arming his.

He had his mother and pregnant wife Elizabeth to settle in a sanctuary.

He and Richard were ready for war and to avenge their father.

Before they marched into the battlefield, Edward showed Richard the letters from Kathryn. “I thought this might interest you.”

Richard read the letters; then his hands started to shake. Angrily, he threw them onto the ground.

“That bitch!” He muttered hatefully under his breath.

“Dickon, that French woman is ready for war. The military commander she appointed is Somerset,” Edward told him. “Remember, Dickon, we need him alive.”

“For the confession against the Queen,” Richard said. “And afterwards?”

“Afterwards, he’s yours.” Edward said. “Just remember don’t do anything extreme. You are a man of honor.”

Richard said nothing more.

***

While the war was going on between York and Lancaster, Anne was kept in the dark. Aside from seeing her husband being separated from her, she knew nothing more. Then suddenly, one day, a group of men barged in under the lead of Sir Thomas Stanley. All the ladies who served her, except for Kathryn, were taken away.

Frightened and confused, Anne gathered all her courage and asked, “Sir Stanley, what is this?”

“Your Grace, you are now confined in this apartment,” he said to her evenly. “You are to stay here with Lady Kathryn and under the service of Lady Stafford.”

“What is this all about?” Anne asked. “What…what have I done to deserve such a treatment?”

Stanley said nothing more. He turned and walked away with her ladies. After he was gone, Lady Stafford came.

Anne and Kathryn were consumed by fear.

***

As Anne and Kathryn were under house arrest, Stafford and Stanley took their men and busted into the manor of George and Isabel. Both were pulled out of their bed and taken to the Tower. Poor Isabel was so frightened that she could not stop reminding people around her—anyone—that she’s late Warwick’s daughter and sister to Princess of Wales. George said nothing.

The two were confined in two separate cells.

***

Lady Stafford was never warm to Anne and Kathryn. She was friendlier the last time she served them because of Anne’s status as soon-to-be Princess of Wales. Now, it was obvious that sooner or later Anne would be put aside. Lady Stafford dropped the former pretense and bullied the Neville girls, particularly Anne, mercilessly.

“You useless thing,” she snapped at her. “You’re barren. Soon, you will be put aside and shut forever in a convent.”

“Cease!” Kathryn defended Anne. “You will not speak to—“

Lady Stafford slapped her in the face. She looked thin, but her arm certainly had strength. Anne caught Kathryn before she hit the ground.

“Lady Stafford, please. Remove yourself from our presence. Your duty is to watch us, not to abuse us,” Anne said firmly. “Do not laid your hands on me or mine, or else—“

“Or else?” Lady Stafford refused to comply. “You are only the Princess of Wales in name only. Without your treacherous father, you have no use to our house.”

“Lady Stafford, we have done you no harm!” Anne snapped back. “We are all women, pawns to our families; we’re to do as we’re told. You have no right to bully us. Don’t forget the Fortune’s Wheel. It rises up and it goes down. You never know what comes tomorrow.”

Lady Stafford was silenced and surprised at Anne’s boldness. She turned her back on them and ordered, “On your knees, you are to pray until dawn.”

***

The Countess was on house arrest as well. She was told that her lands and estates have been confiscated. She was now a penniless widow who was not allowed to step out of her manor.

The Rivers family—the clan of Lady Elizabeth Woodville, Duchess of York—were under arrest too. The only person who was spared was Lady Jacquetta, mother of Lady Elizabeth. Queen Margaret still valued their friendship; after all, it was Lady Jacquetta who escorted her to England and it was Lady Jacquetta who provided her support when she was foreign queen with no son.

And thus, it was clear that anyone who had any form of affiliation to York would not escape from the Queen’s wrath.

At night, Anne cuddled with Kathryn.

Who was to save them?

Anne touched the silver cross on her neck.

_Richard…_


	17. Chapter 17

Edmund Beaufort led the Lancastrian army into the field. He came face-to-face with Edward Duke of York.

It was a fateful day for both of them.

Sins of their fathers…

Vengeance for their fathers…

Edmund Beaufort’s father, the 2nd Duke of Somerset and his namesake, was the archrival to the Edward’s father, Richard Duke of York. After Queen Margaret gave birth to her son, it was Richard of York and also probably Lord Warwick who spread the words that the child was not the son of King Henry, but that of Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset. To clear these rumors, the Queen invited Richard and his duchess to the court to make peace with him. Under the presence of the Queen and the Duke of Somerset, Richard signed agreement with King Henry. In the agreement, Richard was acknowledged as next line to the throne after the newly born Prince Edouard. Given that King Henry had no interest in women and all children were vulnerable, Richard thought it was worth of a bargain.

Soon after the Yorks returned to their castle, Richard fell ill with severe abdominal pain. He believed he was poisoned. Before his death, he called his oldest son Edward to his side and informed him of the adultery between the Queen and the Duke of Somerset Edmund Beaufort.

“You are the rightful heir to the throne…” Those were his last words.

Edward vowed to avenge his father and claim what’s rightfully his. However, before he could act, something happened.

The mad King Henry suddenly made the outburst that Prince Edouard was not his son and had the Queen and Duke of Somerset arrested. The Queen managed to escape with her son with the help of her supporters. The Duke of Somerset wasn’t as lucky. He was beheaded for treason.

And thus his title and wealth were attainted.

It was only reversed after the Queen’s return.

***

The truth behind the adulterous affair between the Queen and Duke of Somerset was only somewhat different. Anxious to beget an heir, under the secret advice of Lady Jacquetta, the Queen had the Duke of Somerset act as the “sex master” for her and the King. He was there to guide and teach the royal couple how to consummate their relationship, but nothing more. Of course, that could not be revealed to anyone since it was very humiliating.

Edmund Beaufort, the 3rd Duke of Somerset, never believed his father would’ve committed adultery with anyone nor done anything to betray the King. To him, it was Warwick and York who created a scandalous rumor which led to his wrongful execution. When the Queen gave him the same task to help Anne consummate the marriage to Prince Edouard, this Edmund had none of the patience or good intention of his father’s. Seeing Anne, the hatred against Warwick burned inside his breast. Instead, he went on to rape Anne, only to be stopped by the Prince’s pet snake.

Now facing Edward Duke of York, Edmund felt the time has come for him to avenge his father and make a name for himself.

To Edward, Edmund was the son of his father’s murderer. And like father like son, this Edmund also attempted to stain the royal bloodline with his.

The two forces charged; and a bloody battle pursued.

The battle ended with Edmund lost.

He was bounded and brought before Edward and Richard.

Lord Warwick once said of this Edmund Beaufort, “He may have inherited his father’s fighting skills, but he has none of his patience or intelligence. His only proficiency is his sheer bravery, but nothing more.”

“What are you doing here?” Edward asked him coldly.

“To kill you, traitor and usurper!” Edmund replied and spat him in the face.

Wordlessly, Edward wiped his face clean and ordered him to be taken away. Standing beside him, Richard pulled his sword half-way out. All he wanted to do was to kill him.

After Edmund was out of their sight, Edward whispered to Richard, “Make him confess, but keep him alive.”

***

The news of Somerset’s loss in battle reached London.

“Incompetent!” The Queen smacked her desk. She had appointed him commander-in-chief and generously had him taking all the men he needs. And this was how he repaid her.

But what’s done was done.

York had to be stopped.

But who shall she send?

Suddenly, the Queen was horrified that York seemed to have affiliation everywhere. Just then, she received another blow: Lady Jacquetta of Rivers had left London taking her son Anthony with her. The Queen was shocked. How? Sir Anthony Woodville was under arrest along with his brothers. Turned out that Lady Jacquetta had friends here and there; and someone helped. The Queen assumed that Lady Jacquetta probably went to North to see to her daughter Elizabeth’s confinement. She would’ve understood if Lady Jacquetta had come to her with a request. A mother herself, Margaret wouldn’t not permit it. But Lady Jacquetta’s action made her feel like a fool and being played.

In anger, she immediately ordered the execution of Lady Jacquetta’s husband and her son John. Their head was soon displayed on spike.

Once calmed down, the Queen then realized her mistake and regretted it.

True, she was rightfully angry at Lady Jacquetta; but Lady Jaquetta was only a woman. She took her son Anthony was probably for protection. Now Queen Margaret had her husband and son killed, not only she made herself looked like a ruthless murderer, but also losing the support from a reliable ally.

What could she do now?

Who could she count on to protect her husband and son?

After much deliberation, the Queen made her decision.

“Bring me George of York,” she ordered.

***

Anne was still praying with Kathryn when the Queen came to her unannounced. Lady Stafford bowed to her deeply. The Queen dismissed Lady Stafford; she wanted to speak with Anne alone.

Kathryn timidly curtsied and left.

Alone with the Queen, Anne kept her eyes down as the Queen spoke to her.

“I have issued an order to keep you here, but I also informed them to treat you well. Have they?”

“They have, Your Grace.”

“Lady Stafford may be strict, but she has one good quality that is rare—loyalty,” the Queen said. “She bears fierce loyalty to our House and to our King. You are a Neville but you are married to our House. I supposed spending days with Lady Stafford you learned something from her.”

“I have,” Anne muttered. She took a glimpse at the Queen.

Queen Margaret seemed to have lost some weight. Her hands could stop shaking.

Whatever was happening, Anne guessed that it is not in the Queen’s favor.

“York has declared war on us,” the Queen finally told her. “He is your late father’s former ally. In fact, his youngest brother was under your father’s tutelage. But they are our enemies, and thus your enemies now. I sent Somerset…but he failed me. He is now in York’s hands.”

Anne said nothing. She waited for the Queen to continue.

“I have to send someone to defeat York,” the Queen continued. “And I have decided to send George.”

Anne gasped in surprise. “George…the second brother of—“

“He is your brother-in-law, isn’t he?” The Queen interrupted her impatiently. “You are linked to him through your sister, and you are the next queen after me. I am sure if you were to speak to him, you will find a way to convince him to fight for our cause.”

“But you are sending him to fight his brother,” Anne said. “The three York brothers, meeting on the battlefield, what if they were to reunite and combine their forces—“

“Which is exactly the reason I want you to speak to him!” The Queen rebuked. “I have promised him a dukedom and wealth if he were to succeed. If you can speak to him, I believe you can further convince him to stay on our side.”

“Your Grace,” Anne muttered. “I will do anything I can to support your cause. However…”

“However? However what?”

“I am here under house arrest,” Anne continued. “And I am separated from my husband under your order. Everyone in court knows that I am to be put aside. George is a clever man; he would not be convinced if I were to speak with him.”

The Queen rolled her eyes.

Anne did have a point.

***

After their conversation, the Queen had Anne and Kathryn moved to a quarter adjuncts to Prince Edouard’s. She still ordered the ladies and the servants to be sure that Prince Edouard not bedding Anne, which was not even necessary since it was unlikely anyway.

Then she ordered to have Lady Isabel released from the Tower.

In the Tower, Isabel was separated from her husband. From the guard’s chatting, she learned the arrest of the Rivers and the execution of Earl of River and his son John. In fact, she watched the execution from her window. Helplessly, she found solace and comfort in prayers. She was plagued by nightmares that she was too brought to the execution block. To her relief, she was finally released and was brought to the Windsor Castle.

It was Anne who received her.

The two sisters embraced and cried bitterly.

“Oh Anne, I heard…I heard that they are putting you aside…” Isabel cried breathlessly. “I heard that George will be executed too…like the Rivers…the Queen she had gone mad…”

“Bella shhh!” Anne stopped her before she could continue. “Bella, it’s fine. The Queen has no intention to harm George.”

“Truly?” Isabel asked in disbelief.

“Yes, she told me,” Anne assured her. “Not only she has no intention to harm George, she has confidence in him.” After some hesitation, Anne told her, “She is sending him to the battlefield to fight York—“

“What?” Isabel’s eyes widened. “The Queen is sending George to fight his very own brothers?”

Anne nodded. “It’s her decision.”

“How…how could George…”

“I don’t know,” Anne shook her head. She didn’t even know how things would turn out under such an arrangement. “The Queen has been kind…and offering him a dukedom as a reward of his success. And if he did, there will be no more wars…and George has everything to gain…”

Anne remembered all the things the Queen taught her to say.

“And I?” Isabel asked uneasily. Anne was as if she were hiding something.

“You are released now,” Anne replied. “The Queen says that you can go with him.”

“To go with George?”

Anne nodded. “I thought that’d please you. Anywhere is better than here.”

Isabel was silent for a moment, and her attitude changed.

“Anywhere is better than here, as you say,” she said bitterly. “The Queen doesn’t care for me, or for you! She wants me to be my husband’s spy and keeper! She wants to use me as a constant reminder for George to remember which side he is on. Well, let me tell you something: George doesn’t care for me any more than your husband cares for you. Nearly five years of marriage and no son! If he were to win the victory, what is the Queen going to reward him with? A dukedom and a marriage to a foreign princess or to a member of the Beaufort clan?”

“Bella—“

“No! Anne, don’t you see? You and I are pawns! First used by father, now by that ruthless she-wolf! Your marriage to Prince Edouard, it isn’t consummated right? If you are not his true wife then you don’t have to be committed to him or to the Lancastrians. We were never their friends and they never viewed us as such. I can tell, Anne, that ever since you married the Prince, you hadn’t had a single day of happiness. Come with me, Anne. We will join the Yorks, where we belong. And you can marry a man of your choice.”

Anne shook her head. “I can’t do that, Bella.”

“What? Why? Anne, you know it’s the safest solution for you and I. George never listens to me; and Edward has his way with words. Once they meet up, George will join their sides. It won’t be just me, there’d be also Richard and Aunt Cis. If you were to stay here, God knows what that she-wolf will do to you!”

Anne swallowed hard. “Bella, you know me. There’s nothing that I craved more than being with you again, be happy and safe. But if I were to desert them and go with you, what does that make me? The Queen already suspected…that I have feelings for Richard…”

“She did?” Isabel’s eyes widened. “Then you can’t stay here!”

“If I were to go with you, then I’d be branded as a traitor and a whore.”

“Don’t be stupid! Once George returned to York’s side, _she_ will declare you a traitor and have you branded a whore anyway! Come with me, at least you’d live.”

Anne shook her head. “No, I can’t go with you Bella. I married to this House, and I shall stay on this side.”

Isabel sniffed as tears streamed from her eyes. “Anne, you are my sister and I always love you. But you have made your decision…asking you to come with me is probably the only chance I can protect you and save you. You take care.”

She turned and left.

Anne broke down and wept on the ground.


	18. Chapter 18

Anne and Kathryn woke up by the poundings on the door. It was still dark.

“My lady! My lady! Wake up!”

Rubbing her eyes, Anne did not realize what was happening. “It is still dark.”

She thought Lady Stafford was finding new ways to torment her.

The maid used all her strength to pull Anne out of the bed. “My lady! Get dressed! We have to go!”

“Go where?”

“WE MUST GO NOW! THE YORK INVASION IS COMING!”

It was not until a patch of water splashed into Anne’s face did she realize the intensity of the current situation. “York…York is attacking?”

“They are coming to London!”

Kathryn was calmer. Instantly, she went to pack Anne’s things—a few blankets, box of jewelries. Secretly, she hid a dagger in the folds of her dress. Hastily, Anne threw on a dress with a cloak over her shoulders.

“Where are we going?” Anne asked. The maid said that she doesn’t know.

Under the escort of the guards, the two girls did what they were told. Soon, they found themselves in sanctuary, the Westminster Abbey.

***

In the Westminster Abbey, the entire royal family—King Henry, Queen Margaret, Anne, and Prince Edouard—settled in the chambers the priests arranged for them. Anne dared not to ask what has happened. Based on the Queen’s coldness towards her, she already guessed that George joined forces with his brothers. Shaking her head, Anne couldn’t help but wondered, what was the Queen thinking?

Once, she admired the Queen for her intelligence, bravery, and dignity. After all, escaping from London to France with an infant in her arms and then come back to the Court where she had no support, it wasn’t something just any woman could do. Initially, Anne thought the Queen was right in taking the power. With such a King who done nothing except for praying and sleeping, what else could be done?

But now, Anne wondered if the Queen’s mind ever had any reason.

First, the Queen made obvious to the whole court that her marriage to Edouard was unconsummated but at the same time, she spread the love stories of her and Edouard all over England. Now, the marriage between her and Edouard was nothing but a sham and laughing stock. Then, after her father’s death, the Queen initiated the separation between her and Edouard; declared war on Yorks; and appointed George was her military commander to fight against his own brothers. Not only that, she had the Rivers killed and their heads displayed on spikes. The Rivers had been loyal to the Lancastrians. Yes, Elizabeth Woodville did marry Edward. But still, not all Rivers showed sign of joining the York’s side. By having the Rivers killed, the Queen pushed rest of the clan to the York’s side.

Then again, Anne asked herself, if she were the Queen, what would she do?

Well, at very least, she knew she wouldn’t sent George to fight his own brothers.

And she knew it’d be a mistake to mistreat the Rivers.

She couldn’t blame the Queen for taking York as an enemy. But then, why did she allow Edward to leave London when she had the chance to put him under arrest?

At the time, she listened to the advice of Lady Jacquetta, Edward’s mother-in-law of course. Then she changed her mind after speaking to Edmund Beaufort, a sworn enemy of York’s.

Does the Queen ever listen to herself?

What was done was done.

Now, she, Lady Anne Neville, was here in sanctuary with her father’s former enemies. Her only relief was that Lady Stafford was not with them. She was with her husband, rallying support to defend London from York invasion.

***

“Are you happy now?” The Queen asked her coolly. “Your beloved Lord Richard of York is coming for you.”

“He is not,” Anne replied. Surprisingly, she found her courage to stand up for herself. “He is only a dutiful supporter of his brother.”

“You know the witch just gave birth to a lusty son?”

“The witch?” Anne did not know whom she was referring to.

“That woman who bewitched York,” the Queen said spitefully, obviously referring to Elizabeth Woodville. “She finally had done her duty. I certainly hope Lord Richard wouldn’t be too disappointed to find you a dried, barren, fruitless woman who ended his line.”

Anne ignored her. She went to see Kathryn and sat with her.

Prince Edouard played around in the sanctuary and King Henry was in his sleeping mode. It was only as if Queen Margaret, Anne, and Kathryn were the only ones who were aware of the dangerous invasion.

“Kathryn, I’m scared,” Anne confessed quietly to her.

“I know, but everything will be all right,” Kathryn comforted her.

***

They only stayed in the Westminster Abbey for a few days.

Dressed plainly, they secretly left London. Margaret’s reason was that York was approaching closer, and the Rivers now were on their side. Henry Stafford was severely wounded. And thus, it was better for them to find a safer place, and then seek help from the French and form new alliances. With new forces, they will counterattack.

To Anne, deserting London was equivalent to forfeiting the crown.

But the Queen was adamant in her decision. Anne had no choice but to follow.

Prince Edouard hated traveling and riding. He complained throughout the way.

Everyone rode except for King Henry, who was in the litter.

The group traveled day and night. Finally, they stopped at Tewkesbury.

Anne was so exhausted that she developed a light fever. Thankfully, they lodged in a nunnery where the nuns kindly offered her food and water. The Queen could’ve cared less.

In bed, Anne thought about her family. Her father Lord Warwick died in bed; her mother the Countess was still in London, or at least supposedly; her sister Isabel was with York, at least she was safe. What was to become of her?

Anne climbed out of the bed and went to the nunnery’s chapel. She lit candles, many of them. One for herself; one for the Countess; one for her sister Isabel; one for her father’s soul; one for Prince Edouard; one for Kathryn.

And one for Richard.

Anne touched the silver cross on her neck. It was Richard who placed it on her.

 _Everything will be all right_ , he said to her like a promise.

In the air, she drew a circle; Fortune’s Wheel. Her mother once told her the Fortune’s Wheel goes up and down.

Spin, Fortune’s Wheel, spin!

She, Anne Neville, had no desire to be Queen of England. All she wanted to live in a peaceful life with her loved ones. She prayed that she would not be killed or shut away in a nunnery where she would never see the light.

***

The next morning, Anne rose with Kathryn. The girls were shocked to find the King, the Queen, and Prince Edouard gone.

“Where did they go?” Anne demanded.

The nuns told them that they don’t know. They were, too, surprised to find them gone.

“They have abandoned us!” Anne gasped.

Kathryn clung on to Anne. “It’s all right, my lady. We’ll be fine here.”

Anne tried to speak, but her voice wasn’t coming out. Covering her mouth, she took and deep breath and managed to let out the words, “We…we stay put.”

“Anne, are you okay?” Kathryn asked her.

Anne shook her head.

She went back to their chamber and closed the door behind her. She wanted to be alone.

***

In her chamber, Anne became restless. Madly, she gathered their things together as if another army was after them soon. Her jewel box was still intact, which meant that the Queen was really in a hurry to leave to the point she left that behind. Anne had expected the Queen had taken her jewelries with her to use it for future ransoms.

Jewelries, blankets and a dagger.

A dagger?

Anne was relieved to find that. She placed the dagger into her bodice for she might need it soon.

And then she looked at Kathryn’s things. All she had was her cloak.

Anne spotted something inside that cloak. Immediately, she went took them out.

Letters…

Curious, she read them and found it strange.

_Tristan…Isolde…the witch…unicorn…and the maiden…_

Anne was bewildered at first; but after she read through the content…she knew.

She swiftly turned and found Kathryn standing there facing her.

“You…” Anne stuttered. “The maiden…the unicorn…the witch…”

Her voice barely came out.

“I never intended for you to know,” Kathryn said slowly.

“Traitor…” Anne managed to mumble.

“I never meant to hurt you,” Kathryn defended herself. “I only meant to free you from your misery and pursue my happiness, my true love.”

Anne shook her head. “You fool…”

Kathryn slapped her across the face. “I’m no fool. Why, because I am a bastard child? I, too, am a Warwick’s daughter and why should you be the lady and I be a lowly servant! I, too, can be Queen of England! Unlike you, my success is my own making. I’m no one’s pawn.”

Anne stared back at her in disbelief.

She tried to speak, but no voice came out.

“You are not going anywhere, Anne. We’re staying here until they come for us. You may hate me now, but I will see you marrying Richard. When time comes, you will thank me.”

***

Nothing in this world could be more painful and distraught than being betrayed by a confidante.

She grew up with Kathryn and never mistreated her. Sure, she was only her father’s bastard, but Anne never treated her less than a sister. She had to admit, though, that Kathryn was more clever and ambitious that she expected. However, in the end, she was a fool.

Edward would truly marry her and leave Elizabeth, who just gave him a son?

Dear God, Kathryn, Edward, her father, George…manipulators...they were all using her. Richard…he wouldn’t be any better.

Anne was still deep in her thoughts when the screams and shrieks filled the nunnery.

The chamber’s door was busted open and Kathryn sprint in. Grabbing her arm, she cried, “Anne! Anne! We have to go! They are going to kill us!”

Dragging Anne out of the chamber, Kathryn ran for the door. She tried to drag Anne out of the nunnery and get to their horses.

Suddenly she stopped.

Pain…

She looked down and found an arrow penetrated through her belly. She looked at Anne, whose face was full of horror.

“Anne…”

Kathryn fell heavily on the ground.

Anne knelt down and shook Kathryn’s body. But she wasn’t moving.

She was dead.

Her attention was still on Kathryn when a group of men ganged up on her. Numerous hands grabbed her, tearing her dress. Anne struggled. Somehow, she found the dagger in her bodice. Using that dagger, she fought back. Madly, she swung the dagger at any man before her eyes.

Blood…she didn’t know it was hers or her attackers’.

Anne fought her way out of the nunnery and continued to fight with her dagger. The man before her grabbed her arm and tried to take the dagger away from her, but Anne proved stronger. The two continued to struggle until a clear voice stopped them.

“Stanley!”

That man stopped.

Before them stood Edward Duke of York.

No, Edward IV King of England.

The man, Sir Thomas Stanley, stepped aside as Edward grabbed him and smacked him across the face. “How dare you!”

“Your Grace,” Thomas Stanley bowed and explained. “The Lancastrian captive is trying to—“

“Nonsense! Lady Anne is not a Lancastrian captive. She’s merely their victim. I’ll see to your punishment.”

He approached Anne, who was on the ground, and lent out his hand. “Lady Anne.”

Reluctantly, Anne took his hand as he pulled her back onto her feet. He removed his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders.

“Have no fear, you are safe now,” he told her. “Margaret is in our hand. Her bastard son is dead.”


	19. Part III: White Duchess

_London, six months later…_

Triumphantly, Richard, now Duke of Gloucester and Constable of England, dismounted his horse. He had returned to London after defeating the Scotts and suppressed the uprisings in the North.

Ned would be proud of him.

After disposed of the Lancastrian King Henry, Edward Duke of York claimed the throne and was crowned at the Westminster Abbey as King Edward IV. A few days later, Elizabeth Woodville was crowned queen and her infant son was made Prince of Wales; her Woodville relations were bestowed with titles and lands. King Henry and Margaret of Anjou were both imprisoned in the Tower in separate cells. Before Richard’s return, King Henry was found dead in his cell. Rumors had it that he was murdered.

Murdered by man or by nature, King Henry was no longer a threat to Edward.

After displaying his body to the public for days, King Edward held him a funeral and burial befitted a King.

Edmund Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, was beheaded. Richard showed him no mercy. Actually, Richard never needed any confession out of him. Based on the content of Kathryn’s letter, he drafted a confession and then had Edmund tortured. While he was unconscious, Richard grabbed his hand and signed the confession. Afterwards, he had Edmund executed with his head displayed on spike.

In the confession drafted by Richard, Queen Margaret was guilty of treason on two counts: one for committing adultery with the 2nd Duke of Somerset and second for having the 3rd Duke of Somerset violating the Princess of Wales. By the law, it was good enough to sign her death warrant. However, because she was born a French royalty, Edward would not dare to kill her at the risk of another war. And thus, she remained in her prison cell.

Richard attended the coronation of King Edward. To his disappointment, he did see Anne there; but he wasn’t surprised. Soon after, he went to suppress the uprising in North and the Scots. Before his departure, Richard asked Edward one favor.

“You Grace, when I come back, I like to wed Lady Anne Neville.”

To which King Edward approved.

Now Richard had returned, he wanted to claim his bride.

But Edward’s reply shocked him, “She’s gone.”

***

“She’s gone? What do you mean she’s gone?” Richard could not believe his ears.

“Dickon, get a hold of yourself,” King Edward held him down. “I said that she’s gone as she has disappeared, not that she’s dead.”

That quieted Richard for the moment; he returned to his normal self—reserved and inward. “What happened? Where is she?”

“Lady Anne was found at Tewkesbury, where the Lancastrians left her behind,” King Edward told him. “She was there with her lady-in-waiting Kathryn. Stanley’s men were a bunch of brutal animals. They spared no one, not even the nuns. Lady Anne was indeed her father’s daughter. She defended herself and slain a few men. Her confidante Kathryn wasn’t as lucky.”

“Kathryn, your lover?”

King Edward nodded. “She had been useful to me. I had her interred in a chapel nearby. The she-wolf…she was on the run with her son and her husband. Foolish woman…Stanley’s men caught up with her. Her son was killed after fell from the horse. A pitiful scene…Anyway, Lady Anne was taken to the Clarence household afterwards.”

Clarence was George, who was made Duke of Clarence after Edward’s coronation.

“The girl was in a poor shape,” Edward continued. “She was ill and lost her voice.”

“What do you mean?” Richard asked.

“She tries to talk but no voice came out,” Edward explained. “I placed her under the custody of Duchess of Clarence. She should’ve felt safer with her sister. And then, Duchess of Clarence reported she is gone.”

Richard refused to believe. “She says that Anne’s gone. Do you think that she’s covering—“

“No, Dickon,” King Edward said. “Duchess of Clarence was upset and worried as you are. She does not know where Lady Anne is.”

Richard abruptly rose. “Anne is ill and she’s all alone. Where she could’ve gone?”

King Edward shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“You think she went to her mother?”

“No,” King Edward replied. “The Countess of Warwick had fled after Lancastrians deserted London. Based on what I’ve heard, she is now at Beaulieu Abbey.”

Beaulieu was way too far for Anne to go.

***

George was not happy to see Richard unceremoniously showed up in the courtyard of his manor.

“Dickon, my dear youngest brother, how I can help you?”

“Shut up George and where’s she?” Richard was not in the mood to play games.

“She? Who do you mean? Are you having affair with one of my wife’s ladies?”

“Lady Anne Neville, where is she?” Richard asked again.

“Why is she your concern?” George questioned. “She’s no one to you.”

“Because she is my betrothed,” Richard told him evenly.

George laughed into his face. “So it’s true then? You were bedding her when she was staying at our Lady Mother’s?”

“George, don’t tempt me,” Richard warned him calmly. “What have you done to her? Shut her in a nunnery? Or had her murdered and hid away?”

“Dickon,” George finally showed anger. “You have no right to barge into my house and speak to me as thus. I am the Duke of Clarence and I have no tolerance for such a behavior in my presence!”

“And I am the Duke of Gloucester and Constable of England,” Richard reminded him. “Lady Anne Neville is missing and you, as her guardian, shall answer to that. The King has given me his blessing to our betrothal. Tell me where she is or you will answer to the King!”

George took a step back. “Fine then, little brother. If you insist, you may search. Search every corner, anywhere! If you find her, or what’s left of her, I’m more than glad to go see the King with you.”

Without another word, Richard had his men conducted their search.

After searching high and low, they didn’t find Anne. Richard himself looked everywhere and called out her name.

But Anne was nowhere seen.

***

Just as he was about to give up and leave, Richard saw a girl, slim and brunette.

“Anne!” He cried and ran after.

The girl turned and looked at him bewilderedly; she was not Anne, but only a servant girl.

“Sir, are you looking for someone?” She asked.

“Yes, I’m looking for Lady Anne. You should know who I’m talking about.”

The girl nodded.

“What is your name?” Richard asked her.

“Anne,” she replied. “But I go by Nan.”

“Nan, please tell me. What do you know about Lady Anne?”

The girl Nan shrugged and spoke, “My Lord Duke and my Lady Duchess moved into this manor after it was given to them by His Grace the King. Behind them came Lady Anne; she followed my Lady Duchess quietly and never spoken a word. Soon we learned that she was not able to speak. My Lady Duchess placed her under our care. Our Lord Duke told us to report to him precisely on the state of her health and her every movement. Then, we were told that it’d be the best that no one speaks to Lady Anne since no good will come out of it.”

“And then?”

“Then, Lady Anne became more and more difficult to serve. She stared at the wall and refused to eat. From time to time, she threw tantrums. We understand that she must have suffered so much during the war, but her behavior frustrates our Lady Duchess. One evening, Lady Anne was having meal with my Lord Duke and my Lady Duchess. We heard shouting and bickering between our lord and our lady. I saw Lady Anne ran out…she was very upset. She bolted to her chamber and cried. The next morning, we went to see her but she wasn’t there. We reported this to our lord and he ordered us to find her. Lady Anne is so weak and she knows no one in London, we assumed she might be hiding somewhere in this manor. But no…”

“Thank you.” That was all Richard could say.

“Wait!” Nan called after him before he could leave. She lowered her voice and whispered, “Our Lord Duke is planning to send Lady Anne into a nunnery; I heard him saying that to our Lady Duchess.”

***

“Now, are you satisfied?” George asked him.

Richard took a deep breath. “My apologies, brother.”

“Stay away from Anne Neville,” George warned. “She is my ward.”

“Your ward? Where is she now? Which nunnery did you shut her in?”

George said nothing.

“I will find her George, and I will marry her.” With that said, he turned and left.

George hatefully stared at his back shadow.

After Margaret of Anjou sent him into the battlefield, both Edward and Duchess Cecily wrote to him. They asked him to rejoin their side and fight together as three sons of York should. Furthermore, Edward had promised him the entire Beauchamp estate. The Countess of Warwick would continue her days as a prisoner in a sanctuary, and all her property will go to him since he married Warwick’s older daughter Lady Isabel.

But now, Edward was permitting Richard to marry Anne.

Highly likely, half of the Beauchamp estate would go to Richard; or at least a portion of it.

Quietly, he ordered his men to conduct a search throughout London.

“Find Lady Anne or don’t even thinking about coming back!”


	20. Chapter 20

_Where could Anne have gone?_

She could not have gone far from London. A young girl of sixteen, no father and no family, where could she go?

Putting exhaustion aside, Richard continued the search for her.

Every house…every street…every sanctuary…

He would not rest until he finds her.

He would marry her and give her back everything she lost.

On that fateful day when she left his mother’s castle, had he stopped her, called her back, and convinced her to marry him, it wouldn’t end this way.

Would it?

By marrying Anne, Warwick wouldn’t use her as his pawn to bargain with that Anjou woman; he would stay on the York side. Even if that Anjou woman were to launch a war against them, with Warwick and his men on their side, York would win anyway.

Why didn’t he stop her?

With a mixed feeling of anger and regret, Richard roamed throughout London until he was so tired that he couldn’t walk.

He decided to stop and rest in a nearby inn with two squires.

***

The inn was run by an elderly couple and their son.

The old man was full of stories. Wars and plague, he had seen it all or so he claims.

“We have opened this inn for years, and nothing strange has ever happened to us until that very night,” the old man told Richard. “It was stormy and then a red figure came before our door. It was a girl in a red hood. My wife took her in and gave her a bowl of warm soup. That girl said nothing and she still hasn’t spoken a word to this day. I asked her if she has family, she shook her head. All she did was crying. I only planned to have her stay in for the night, but my son is fond of her. So, we allowed her to stay.”

_A girl can’t speak…_

Richard’s heart pounded soundly against his chest.

“The girl, where is she?”

“You know her?” the old man raised an eyebrow of curiosity. “She’s sleeping in the kitchen, sewing shirts in exchange of food and boarding. Her skills are good.”

“Take me to her.”

The old man led the way and Richard followed him to the kitchen.

***

Richard never told the innkeeper his true identity. Yet, by the richness of his dressing and his presence, the innkeeper and his wife guessed he wasn’t any ordinary man. Leading the way, the innkeeper brought him to the kitchen.

Instantly, his eyes fixed on a girl sitting on the dirt ground, sewing a white shirt.

In a plain dress and a red cap, her face was covered in cinders and her hair was greasy.

Wordlessly, he approached her.

The girl looked up and her eyes became still. She licked her lips and tears filled her eyes. She took a deep breath and then looked back down again, continued with her stitches.

“Anne,” Richard said gently as he took the shirt away from her.

The girl ignored him. She tried to take the shirt back, but a little success. She grabbed a small stick and scribed the words on the dirt ground.

_I will not go with you. Go away!_

Holding to her knees, she looked away hatefully.

“Anne, I’m not here to harm you,” Richard said to her. Oblivious to the dirtiness, he sat down next to her. “It’s late, you can’t stay here, causing troubles for the innkeeper.”

She shook her head vehemently. _I am not Lady Anne! Go back to where you came from!_

In response, Richard took her hands. “Anne, what is it? Why are you here?”

Anne refused to respond.

“I will take you to safety.”

Anne buried her face into her hands and cried. After shedding many tears, she scribed on the dirt ground: _Go away. I will not follow you back to that prison._

Richard took that stick from her hand and scribed after her: _I will not take you back to George._

Anne shook her head. _I am not Lady Anne and I don’t know you!_

Richard looked at her and then spotted the silver cross on her neck. He grabbed it and held it tightly in his hands.

“You don’t know me and you don’t trust me! Then why are you still wearing this?” He questioned her in a low voice.

Anne sniffed. _No, I’m staying here. At least they treat me like a human being. I am not leaving._

She grabbed the shirt back and continued her work.

Richard rose. Wordlessly, he removed his hat, gloves, and his doublet.

“Your Grace, what are you…” his squire was speechless.

“Your Grace?” The innkeeper was shocked.

“This is His Grace the Duke of Gloucester,” the squire informed the innkeeper and his wife.

“Your Grace, our apologies!” the old couple bowed deeply. Richard ignored them. He went on to remove his rings and told his squire, “You can take these back to His Grace the King. Tell him, that I forfeit my titles and position and I will spend my days here.”

“But Your Grace…” the squire held his doublets and gloves, not knowing if he were serious or joking.

Rolling up his sleeves, Richard proceeded to clean the kitchen. He took the broom and began to sweep the kitchen floor.

And he swept, and swept.

One, two, three…

After the tenth swept, Anne got up and stopped him. With her tearstained face, she gave him a nod.

_I’ll go, I’ll go with you._

***

Wrapped her in his cloak, Richard had his squires escorted her out of the inn.

“Wait!” the innkeeper’s young son ran out. “You can’t take her away.”

Richard turned around and looked at him. “What is your name, lad?”

“Richard,” he replied.

“That is my name too,” Richard let out a laugh. “How old are you now, Richard?”

“Seventeen.”

Richard asked his parents. “How many shirts has this lady made?”

“Twenty,” the innkeeper replied.

Richard handed him ten cold coins. “I’m buying all these shirts and these are my payment.”

The three nearly fell on their knees.

“Your Grace, this is too much!”

“You have taken good care of something very precious to me,” Richard told them. “These are your rewards, and the dowry of your son’s future bride.”

“God bless your Grace!”

Anne watched as Richard walked away from them. He mounted his horse and pulled her behind him. “Hold on tight!”

Within seconds, they disappeared into the dark night.


	21. Chapter 21

Anne held on to the man before her. She had no other choice, knowing the York brothers—they would not give up until they achieve what they wanted. The innkeeper and his family had been kind to her. Although touched by Richard’s actions, Anne complied with his demands partly because she feared that he might have slaughtered this innocent family had she not. After enduring all the traumas from the war and being betrayed by her loved ones, one could not blame her for not trusting people.

Now she was on a horse behind Richard. Unless she wanted to get thrown off the horse, she could only hold on to him and allow him to take her wherever he wanted.

Before she knew it, the horse stopped.

Anne opened her eyes and found herself before a church.

Richard dismounted first and then lifted her off the horse.

“This is the Church of St. Martin le Grand,” Richard explained to her. “You stay here, and they will provide you the commodities you need.”

Anne only shook her head and fearfully backed away. She was in a nunnery back in Tewkesbury. And then…

“Anne, trust me!” Richard took her by the shoulder. “Stay. The nuns here will take good care of you. George will never find you here.”

After a long hesitation, Anne nodded and followed him into the sanctuary.

***

Seeing her settled in, Richard left the sanctuary and promised to return in the morning.

Bathed and changed into a fresh, plain gown, Anne watched from the window as moon faded and sun rose.

And Richard kept his promise. He came at dawn.

He brought her gifts. One coffer placed before her after another. The squires opened them; new clothes, new dresses, new cloaks, and jewelries.

“I thought you might need these,” he uttered. “Don’t forget, you are an Earl’s daughter and you deserve them.”

With that said, he handed her another package. It was a hand-mirror and an ivory comb.

Anne would’ve said thank you had she had her voice. But it would’ve been a gesture rather than true gratitude.

King Edward was a puppeteer and sexual predator; George was greedy and a turncoat; what does that make Richard?

“Come,” Richard led her to a table. He had the squires put parchments and two pens on the table. He took a parchment and scribed, _you have a lot of things to say, don’t you? You can tell me now, here_.

He pushed the parchment to her and handed her the other pen.

After staring at the parchment for a while, Anne wrote, I _have nothing to say. Everything you heard is true. Lancastrians have not treated me well, but neither did my family, and neither did you_.

 _I was only saving you,_ Richard wrote, _when you came to my lady mother’s place for Lady Isabel’s confinement. Your father was a good man, but very ambitious. He overestimated himself._

 _What is the use of talking about the past?_ Anne wrote back. _Prince Edouard is dead. He had not been unkind…he had only a mind of a child. The Lancastrian King is dead now and she is imprisoned. What is going to happen to me?_

 _What do you want Anne?_ Richard asked her.

 _I want what is mine,_ Anne replied. _I like to go home to Middleham with my mother._

Seeing her reply, Richard bit his lip. _It is not entirely impossible, but it will be difficult. Your mother fled after Lancastrians deserted London. She is now at Beaulieu Abbey. The King had her land and property confiscated._

 _Why?_ Anne asked, shocked. _For what?_

 _I don’t know,_ Richard replied. _But you are not a traitor and have been pardoned. You can still inherit your mother’s wealth as co-heiress with your sister._

 _And my mother?_ Anne continued to ask.

 _I don’t know, but I will do everything I can._ Richard promised her.

 _Why would you do this for me?_ Anne asked.

 _Why’d you think?_ He scribed.

Anne rose.

 _Why’d you think?_ That sounded familiar. Had he say that to her before?

Richard watched her for a long moment. Then he spoke, “If I have made you uncomfortable, I can leave you alone.”

Anne nodded.

“But I’ll come back,” he added. He brushed his lips against her hand. “Good day, Lady Anne.”

***

After he was gone, Anne gathered together the parchment and reread their writings. She traced his words with her fingers, as if she was touching him. Studying his handwriting, Anne saw strength, determination, and decisiveness.

His eyes were honest, and quite besotting.

She had rejected him before, even though at the time she could not deny her feelings towards him.

Rubbing the silver cross on her neck, Anne reminisced the moment he placed it on her neck. It was after Isabel’s confinement; the child was a stillborn and Anne was distraught. Richard was there to comfort her. And he assured her everything will be all right.

She was all right, wasn’t she?

After all, she wasn’t locked in the Tower of London with her dreadful mother-in-law Margaret of Anjou.

Neither was she dead like Kathryn.

Here she was, in a sanctuary, alive and untouched.

She recalled their first meeting in London at the hunting party, where she mistaken him as Prince Edouard.

In comparison, Richard was a man; Prince Edouard was a boy. Edouard was immature, mercurial, and temperamental. Richard was capable, intelligent, caring, and righteous.

Anne recalled her father’s last words to her.

_Commit to no one until there is a clear winner. Then show your undying loyalty to the winning side—give that man anything a woman can give._

Honestly, she would like to return home and leave everything—leave London—forever behind. But deep down in her heart, she knew she couldn’t do it alone. As a daughter of Warwick, she couldn’t remain unmarried. Either she marries or she’d ended up in a nunnery.

Life in a nunnery may not be bad, but Anne did not see herself living in such a life.

Because her heart was lies elsewhere.


	22. Chapter 22

And he did come back.

Anne patiently waited as he sat. Putting her nervousness aside, on the parchment she scribed boldly, _Richard, do you love me, truly?_

That was the question she wondered for a long time.

His eyes flickered. Obviously, he never expected her to ask him that so bluntly.

He took that parchment from her and slowly, he wrote, _I do._

 _Since when?_ She asked.

 _I don’t know, since we first met._ Before he could continue, Anne stopped him with her hand on his.

 _Don’t write it, tell me,_ she scribed. _I want to hear it from you._

Richard put down the pen and rose. Looking at her, he spoke, “That day, I was at the hunting party thrown by that she-wolf of Anjou. Prince Edouard released his pet falcon, and it flew to me. As it landed on my arm, I turned and saw you. You were looking at me, and something touched my heart at the moment. Prince Edouard was such a child, and he was furious that I had his falcon. He threw a fit and the falcon flew back to him. A moment later, that falcon returned to me and you were still looking at me. I haven’t stop thinking about you since. I admit, my brother the King and my lady mother have the intention for us to wed for the sake of alliance. But I want to marry you because of that’s what my heart tells me.”

He removed an emerald ring from his small finger. “You recognize this? You were wearing this at the banquet, where we danced for the first time. Forgive me for taking it from you, but I need to have something to remember you by. It never left my hand.

“I knew your father would’ve married you to Prince Edouard sooner or later. Based on what I saw of him, I knew that your life would not be pleasant if you went along with your father’s plans. Your father was ailing…no…he was dying. He could hide it from you, or even from himself, but he couldn’t hide it from everyone else. I can’t imagine what life would be like for you. I wanted to save you, but at the same time, I can’t force you against your will. From time to time, I asked myself, if only I tried harder to make you see…but…

“Anne, I do love you and want to protect you, but only if you were to allow me. I’m telling you now, if you want to return to Middleham, you can’t go alone. I understand how dreadful marriage sounds to you. But without a powerful husband by your side, you can’t accomplish your desire.”

He stepped closer to her. Taking her hand, he pressed it against his lips. “Anne, if you like, marry me. I will win you back everything you’ve lost.”

His dark eyes stared at her, as if they could penetrate through her soul.

Anne was overcome with all types of emotions: happiness, surprises, sadness, confusion, disbelief…

Sniffling, she grabbed the pen and wrote, _If I marry you, everything I own becomes yours. You will get my fortune._

He wrote back, _Yes, that is true. Marrying you can bring me wealth and powerful alliances. As Lord of North, I will need the support from your father’s affiliations. But marrying me will make you a royal duchess. The King might not hear from a daughter of Warwick, but he will not turn away from his own brother._

 _Lord of North?_ Anne asked. _You are to govern North?_

Like her father once did.

 _Yes,_ he answered. _And I will petition for your mother’s pardon. And for Middleham Castle._

Anne looked up; her eyes were filled with hope.

 _The King has already given us his blessing._ He added. _All I need is you to say yes._

_Say yes…._

_…Marry me_

Anne remained silent and still.

Richard spoke. “My motto is _loyaulty me lie_. I am a man of honor and righteousness. I may be vengeful toward my enemies, but I treat me and mine well.” Then he showed her his glove; on the glove sewn his badge, a white boar. “You know why I chose the white boar to be my symbol? That day we hunted together, we captured a white boar together. You released it back to the nature, showing your mercy. You are kind, strong, and passionate. You are everything to me, Anne. You are my courage. You are my home.”

Her eyes were wet with tears. Her head started to move, up and down.

She was nodding, with a little hesitation at first, but then with more determination.

In response, Richard took her hand and pressed it hard against her lips.

Then he pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips against hers.

His actions surprised Anne, but she did not resist. It all came to her naturally. Unlike their first time together, this time she kissed him back.

His lips were warm and his arms were strong.

She was drowned in the passion and love, until he reached her back as if he were to untie her lace. She stopped him and pulled away.

“What is it, Anne?” He asked, concerned.

She shook her head. She pulled herself out of his arms and went to fetch parchment to explain her reason.

“You want to wait until we’re married,” he said after her. He read her mind, and that startled her. “If you like to, I won’t force you. But we have to wait.” He went to her and cupped her face. “We have the permission from the King, but we still need papal dispensation. That will take time.”

She nodded and wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his chest.

Stroking her hair, he whispered, “Once the papal dispensation arrives, we will marry, here. The priest of this church will marry us, and we shall have witnesses. You remember Francis Lovell? We were both under your father’s tutelage. He is now knighted and one of my most trusted men. He will be there as a witness. No prompt, no lavish ceremony, but we will be married. You will stay here, until we get Middleham Castle. I will bargain with George…but I promise you, I will take you home.”

Anne nodded against his chest. She wanted to say the words “thank you” to him so much.

This time, she’d mean it from her heart.

And so she pulled him down for a kiss as a gesture.

That kiss kept her warm for the rest of the day.


	23. Chapter 23

As they waited for the papal dispensation, Anne lived a quiet, mundane life in the sanctuary. Richard offered to bring her a physician to see if he can help her recover her voice, but Anne refused.

No, she did not want any physician from London.

And she was adamant.

From time to time, she wondered what her sister Isabel is doing now. How would she react after finding her gone? At first, Anne felt guilty for making Isabel worry. However, soon, that guilt went away. Isabel failed to stand up for her against George. She was going to watch as George treat her like a prisoner and eventually shut her away or even worse, have her killed.

Then she pitied Isabel.

Poor Bella couldn’t even stand up for herself.

She was like a helpless poor lamb fell into a cruel wolf’s hand.

Anne remembered her days as a Lancastrian bride. Was she able to save Isabel when Margaret of Anjou issued her arrest?

Anne could only be thankful that she was marrying Richard, a righteous man who stands for her.

And he loves her.

Love…

Compared to the way other men had treated her—her father, who used her as a pawn; Edouard, who treated her like a gift taken for granted; George, who treated her like a prisoner—Richard was more than a blessing.

Fortune’s Wheel rises and falls; looked like she was rising again.

No, she would never dream to be Queen of England ever again.

All she wanted was to live in a peaceful life.

***

Richard did not leave her alone in the sanctuary. He visited her every day, always brought her a gift. Jewelries, flowers, a puppy, books…but to Anne, his greatest gift was his presence.

Her favorite time with him was playing chess.

Anne took the opportunity to observe Richard, especially when he was thinking. He looked so serious.

But for her, it was attractive.

Unlike his brothers, Richard was not tall or large built. He seemed so gentle and quiet from the outside, but Anne knew he was more than that.

He was a mystery.

Like so many secrets behind a door that Anne eager to explore.

***

Finally, after days of waiting, it was here.

Richard came to her with the papal dispensation in his hand.

“We can marry now,” he said to her.

Seeing the dispensation before her, Anne was overcome with emotions.

She was going to marry again.

This time to a man of her choice.

She turned away from Richard and slowly wrote on the parchment, _I want to be alone for a moment._

He nodded understandably.

***

The night before their wedding, Anne stayed up, alone. The ghosts of the past haunted her. She remembered clearly the night before her wedding to Prince Edouard. She was at the Tower with Kathryn under the watch of Lady Stafford. Oh that Lady Stafford, Anne never liked her. For unknown reasons, Lady Stafford had always been mean to her. The morning of her wedding, it was Lady Stafford who plaited her hair. She pulled her hair so tight that it hurt. Anne knew she did it on purpose.

What happened to Lady Stafford now?

She did not know. All she heard from George was that her husband Sir Henry Stafford died in the battle against York. Lady Stafford, now Lady Beaufort, was widowed for the second time. Either she marries again, like Anne, or takes the order. Married at age twelve and gave birth at age thirteen, she had a son. What happened to him?

Maybe he was slain. Or maybe he escaped.

Now Anne found Lady Margaret Beaufort more pitiful than any woman she knows.

And there was Kathryn, who stayed faithfully by her side, giving her courage.

How long had she been conspiring with Edward?

Recalling the times when it took Kathryn forever to answer the door at the castle of Duchess Cecily, Anne guessed it probably started then.

Her mother was right all along.

Edward Duke of York, now King of England, was indeed a notorious man.

He seduced Kathryn and manipulated her to believe that he’d marry her and make her Queen of England.

Truly?

Anne had come close to be queen. Seeing the fate of Margaret of Anjou, she now knew it was not worth it. The weight of the coronet—it was too much for any woman could bear.

By marrying Richard, she would be Duchess of Gloucester.

She would follow him and return to Middleham, her home.

She would be the lady of the castle.

She and Richard would be together, happily; with many, many children.

Then suddenly, it hit her.

She never consummated her marriage with Edouard.

What it’d be like…

Her mother once told her, “It’s like a key fitting into a lock.”

Isabel told her that it may be awkward a first, but soon she’d get use to it.

Truly, Anne was completely clueless on what could happen to a woman on her wedding night.

But she would find out tomorrow.


	24. Chapter 24

On her wedding day, Richard sent two ladies to attend her.

They laid out one dress after another.

A green one, a gold one, a brown one, a blue one…

But Anne shook her head.

The ladies were baffled. Throughout their lives, they never even dreamed of marrying a royal prince, let alone a royal prince who’d treat them half as well as Richard treated Anne. Had anyone bestow these dresses to them, they would’ve been jubilant.

“Lady Anne, what dress would you like then?” One of them asked.

After scrutinizing all the dresses she had, Anne chose a white one.

And she refused any jewelry.

In the end, in a white gown, with her hair down and a white veil over her head, Anne was a bride again. At her first wedding, she dressed richly from head to toe. On this day, her second wedding, she did not want anything to remind her that first wedding of hers.

Yet, surprisingly, she was beautiful in that white dress.

With the two ladies behind her, Anne went to the chapel where Richard was waiting for her.

***

Before the priest and three witnesses, Anne and Richard exchanged their vows and rings. When he slipped the ring onto her finger, Anne felt secure and hopeful. He lifted her veil and sealed their vows with a kiss.

Anne was now married to Richard.

She became his wife, his lady, and his duchess.

***

That evening, Sir Francis Lovell stayed at the sanctuary and ate with the newlywed couple. Richard had paid the church handsomely, so their sins of drinking and laughter were forgiven. Richard and Francis laughed and drank; but Anne hardly touched her wine. The horrifying memory of the night when Edmund Beaufort attempted to violate her was still fresh in her mind.

After the meal was over, Anne retired to her bedchamber.

Her ladies were supposed to undress her and prepare her for the night.

Before they could untie her lace, Richard walked in. The two ladies knowingly gave Anne a look and a teasing smile. They curtsied and left the chamber.

Richard bolted the door and went to her. “Allow me to be your handmaiden tonight.”

He turned her back to him and unlaced her dress.

He undid the laces one at a time.

He brushed her dress off her shoulders, pulling it off her completely. Anne blushed each time his fingers brushed her skin. She nearly lost her breath when he pressed a kiss on her nape.

Taking her hand, he guided her to step out of the dress.

He had her sit on the edge of the bed and released her feet from her shoes.

Anne settled under the covers as Richard undressed himself. She watched him removing his doublet and then his shirt. When he sat on the bed to remove his boots, Anne’s fingertips were only inches away from his bareback. In her heart, she bore a strong desire to touch him. But instead, her fingers tapped nervously against the sheets.

Pulling the covers away, Richard had Anne sat half-way up. His fingers traced her features—her eyes, nose, and her mouth. Cupping her face, he gently kissed her on the lips.

Anne kissed him back.

It wasn’t the first time she kissed him like this, but it was different from the previous times.

It was soft at first, but then it became deeper and more passionate.

Richard’s kiss was powerful and dominating. He kissed her so hard that it hurt her lips.

Anne groaned as his mouth moved away and traveled down to her neck.

Now this was a new territory.

Her face grew crimson when he slipped the strap of her shift off her shoulder. She took a deep breath as he kissed her on the collarbone and then to the valley of her breasts.

He laid her down and slowly, he peeled her shift off, leaving her naked as she was born. Anne crossed one arm over her chest and used her other hand to cover her feminine part to protect her modesty. Unlaced his breeches, Richard climbed over her. Taking her hands, he held her arms down on the side, leaving her perfectly exposed.

“Beautiful,” he muttered.

He leaned down to kiss her while his hands intertwined with hers.

His mouth caressed her neck as he wrapped her arms around him. Her fingers danced on his back and stroked his skin. A shiver went down her spin when his lips moved down to her breasts. Anne curved against him when he rubbed her nipple with his thumb pad. Her nails dug into his back as he sucked her breasts.

That gave her certain pleasure that she never had before.

He cupped her breasts and moved down to kiss her stomach.

Anne would’ve laughed out had she had her voice, for she was always ticklish down there.

“Ticklish?” Richard rose from her belly.

Anne nodded and gave him a smile, gesturing him to continue.

He kissed her stomach again and then moved down to kiss her thighs.

Till now, Anne had kept her thighs closely together.

Seeing her uneasiness, Richard climbed up to kiss her. He continued to kiss her while his hand went down to her thighs. Caressing them, he managed to relax her and spread her thighs slightly apart. His fingers went to her feminine part and stroked it gently.

Anne moaned against his lips.

Feeling her wet, Richard rolled on top of her and pulled her legs apart. Wrapping them around his hips, he thrust into her.

Anne gasped at the pain. It hurt…so much that she scratched him on the shoulder. She blinked tears and sniffled.

_So it is true…Lancaster never bedded her…_

“Anne?” Richard asked gently if she liked him to stop, to which she shook her head.

He entered her again.

He moved against her slowly first, but soon he lost control. Holding her arms over her head, his thrusts became faster and harder. He continued until they reached climax.

And thus, Anne had truly become his wife.

***

Cuddling against him, Anne enjoyed the strength of his arm and warmth of his body. His lips rested against her hair. Gently, she placed a kiss on his chest, where his heart is.

So this was what a real wedding night like.

In her heart, she prayed that every night will be like this.

Feeling his chest moving up and down, Anne was in heaven.

Richard was the man she loves.

And she’d follow him wherever he goes.

He was her home.


	25. Chapter 25

The chamber door was closed and bolted.

And it was never quiet in there.

In her shift, Anne ran around the bed as Richard chased after her. After three rounds or so, he caught her. Grabbing her by the waist, he carried her to bed despite her struggles and kicking. Throwing her on the bed, he torn her shift apart and kissed her hungrily. Pulling apart for air, Anne pushed him away and crawled backward to make more room for him. He climbed on to the bed and hovered over her. Anne pulled his shirt over his head, running her hand over his naked torso.

After his shirt was gone, she pushed him down on his back and rolled on top of him. Unlaced his breeches, Anne straddled him and sat on his crutch. Slowly, she rode him.

Throwing her head back, she enjoyed the sweet pleasure.

She and Richard had married for nearly two months. Though he was gone during the day, he always came back to her at night.

He never neglected her bed.

And he taught her to enjoy lovemaking for the sake of pleasure, not duty.

Her first time hurt, but it only hurt once.

Initially, she was a shy and uncomfortable. Soon, however, she mellowed in Richard’s arms and caresses. She began to crave for his touch and the moment he enters her.

His tongue rolling on her body…

His hands kneading her breasts…

His thumb pad teasing her nipples…

His knee rubbed against her thighs…

His lips nuzzling her neck…

Her favorite moment was when he showed her how she could set the pace of their lovemaking. It started when they were conversing through scribing. Anne told him how much she missed horse riding and the excitement of it. Richard replied that he couldn’t take her away from the sanctuary yet, but he could let her feel the excitement. Throwing the pen down, he took her to the bedchamber. Discarded their clothes, Richard lied down on his back and had her straddling him.

That was new to Anne, but she loved it.

And it was like riding a horse, only it was way better.

Now, here she was, making love to Richard in her favorite position.

She made love to him not because he asked her to or because of her wifely duty, but because she wanted to.

***

Resting against his chest, Anne traced the scars on his body. He fought hard under King Edward’s banner and sustained several wounds. The most obvious one was on his arm; that one was deep.

 _It doesn’t hurt anymore, does it?_ She scribed on his chest using the tip of her finger.

 _No,_ he scribed back on her upper arm.

 _How long do I have to stay here?_ She asked.

 _Until we get Middleham,_ he answered.

 _When will that be?_ Anne was growing bit impatient.

He turned her over so she was lying on her belly. Moving her hair aside, he kissed her neck. Then, he scribed on her back. _That was one kiss. Keep tracking and count until 500. By then, you’d be back in Middleham._

Anne smiled and turned over. She pulled Richard down and covered his face with kisses, tempting him to kiss her back _multiple_ times.

But Richard stopped her.

Instead, he lied down on his back and had her cuddling against him. Stroking her hair, he scribed on her shoulder. _Patience._

Yes, patience.

Anne scribed no more.

***

Days went back and Anne remained in sanctuary.

She became restless.

After escaping from George’s manor, she was scared and alone. Now, with Richard by her side, Anne was ready to leave and face the Court under the new reign of a Yorkist king. For what reason did Richard continue to keep her here?

From time to time, she wondered if Richard even informed the King of their marriage.

After all, the King married Elizabeth Woodville in secret back in the days as Duke of York and did not reveal it until he was forced to.

Was Richard playing the same game like his oldest brother?

She was his true wife.

So why was she hidden here like a mistress?

Frustration turned into confusion and then into anger.

She grabbed a plate and threw it against the wall.

Before she could do any more damage, however, she was stopped by a strong sickness from her stomach. It was so strong that she nearly lost her balance. Sinking to the floor, she covered her mouth with her handkerchief. She only managed to hold it down for a moment. Soon, she was vomiting.

Resting her head on a chair, Anne felt if she stayed any longer in this sanctuary—this prison—then it’d probably kill her.

***

Richard came back that night and made love with her as usual. He was quieter than before. Wordlessly, he played with her hair as his eyes stared at the ceiling. Anne could only guess that things did not go in his favor, _their_ favor.

“When George was meeting Ned on the battlefield,” he spoke. “Ned promised him many things only if he were to abandon his alliance to the Lancastrians and rejoin the York side. Among the things he promised, there is the Beauchamp estate and your father’s titles. He is not going to give up an inch of the Beauchamp estate. A promise is a promise. The King has to keep his word.”

Anne looked up. _What can we do?_

“Bargain,” he replied. “And compromise. George is not happy that you ran away from his house. But your sister does care for you; you made her worry.”

Anne buried her face into his neck.

 _Have you informed the King of our marriage?_ She scribed on his shoulder.

“Not yet,” he said. His answer surprised Anne. “But I will when the time is right.”

When time is right…

Anne only prayed that the sickness that plagued her won’t kill her by then.

Somehow, she had this feeling that Richard was not telling her everything.

And she was correct.

Richard was still plagued by that conversation he had with King Edward.

***

The next morning, Richard woke up alone; it startled him.

“Anne…” He threw on his robe to look for her.

He looked everywhere but there was no sign of her.

_Dear God, did she run away?_

_Where could she have gone to?_

Richard prayed and hoped that Anne did not go to confront George herself. A woman without a voice, she was no match to George.


	26. Chapter 26

_The day before…_

Richard requested to see the King again. He knew how much Anne wanted to leave London and go back to her childhood home where she could be surrounded by familiar faces. On top of that, he knew how much Anne worried for her mother. The Countess remained in Beaulieu Abbey. King Edward showed no intention to pardon her. Instead, he had all her money and land taken from her and declared her legally dead.

If she does not like sanctuary, the King said, she could leave there. Wherever she goes, he could’ve cared less.

“You don’t like the Countess, Sire,” Richard pointed out. “Why is that?”

King Edward laughed, and told Richard that incident at Duchess Cecily’s castle when Anne was visiting Isabel for her confinement. Edward was fooling around with Kathryn and was forced a coitus interruptus by a series of door knock. It was Anne; and she chatted with Kathryn completely unaware that Edward was hiding behind the curtain.

“According to the Countess, I am a ‘notorious man with a flock of whores’. Little did she anticipate that ‘notorious man’ is King of England now,” Edward said triumphantly.

“Ned,” Richard didn’t know where to begin.

“Tell me, Dickon. How is Lady Anne?” Edward changed the subject.

“She is fine,” Richard answered.

“Do you love her?”

“I do.” Richard replied.

“That is good to hear, only I hope that Lady Anne does not have too high of a pride to remain as your mistress.”

“What?” Richard was surprised and a bit shocked. “What are you saying Ned?”

“Meg has written me about her stepdaughter, Marie,” Edward continued, ignoring Richard’s reactions. “I thought you might be interested.”

Meg was their sister Margaret, who was married to the Duke of Burgundy.

“I can’t Ned—“

“Dickon, if you were to accept this marriage to Mary of Burgundy, I will give you Middleham and everything else you asks for.”

“Ned what are you—“

“Dickon, don’t think for me or for yourself. Think for England.”

***

To King Edward’s request, Richard did not give him an answer, nor did he tell him that he was already married to Anne.

Bargaining with George was no picnic, and Edward lit another fire before he could put out the first one. Edward was really pushing him to accepting this Burgundy marriage.

No, he could not give up Anne for anything.

And finding her disappeared made the usually calm Richard searching her like madness.

After searching through the whole sanctuary, he went back to the bedchamber and found Anne there resting in bed, pressing a handkerchief to her mouth.

“Anne!” He sprint to her and held her dearly against his chest. “What did you go?”

Shaking her head, Anne tried to hold back her sickness.

“What is it Anne? Are you ill?”

Anne shook her head. Richard did not know if she meant that she does not know or that she isn’t sick. He laid her down and rubbed her back. A while later, she seemed to recovere a little. Still, she could not leave the bed.

“Have you missed a course?” He asked her.

Her eyes widened. Thinking back…

Taking his hand, she placed it on her belly. Her eyes became curious and then excited.

Richard lied down next to her. Pulling her back to him in a spooning position, his hand went to her belly, holding it protectively.

Then, it came to him.

He knew what to do now.

***

Months went by, and Anne’s belly grew.

The larger she became, the more agitated she was.

No, she did not want to give birth in London.

Not here.

Never here.

She expressed her concern to Richard, who continuously assured her that they would be home soon.

By the time it happened, she was five months along; her bump was now more obvious. Richard had a new dress made for her and took her to Windsor Castle to see the King. In a cream color dress, she took Richard’s hand as he led her out of the litter. Stepped into the courtyard of Windsor Castle, Anne remembered the last time she was here.

She was the Princess of Wales then.

Now, she was here again with a new identity.

With her hand locked in his, Anne went into the castle with Richard. Step by step, she followed him until they came to the presence of King Edward, Queen Elizabeth, George, and Isabel. Coincidentally, Queen Elizabeth was also with child.

Isabel’s eyes widened upon seeing Anne’s condition.

“Sire, I like to present you Lady Anne Neville, my wife and duchess,” Richard said calmly. Holding her belly, Anne curtsied to King Edward and Queen Elizabeth.

“Scandalous!” George growled.

“Scandalous? How?” Richard argued coldly. “We were married before the eyes of God with witnesses and papal dispensation. The King gave me his permission and blessing on this marriage.”

“Enough!” King Edward ended their argument and turned his attention to Anne. The girl was in such a poor shape when he discovered her at Tewkesbury. Now, she had recovered and was glowing.

And pregnant.

“When did you marry?” King Edward asked Richard, knowing Anne could not talk.

“Seven months ago,” Richard replied.

“And how many months along is Lady Anne?”

“Five.”

King Edward rose from his throne. “Dickon, think carefully. You still have a chance to change your mind. If you were to choose, for yourself and for England, will you choose a penniless mute girl or a plump princess with a rich dowry?”

Loud and clear, Richard replied, “I will choose the one I love.”

King Edward was amused. “So, you settled for the penniless mute girl then?”

“Sire, Lady Anne should not be penniless,” Richard said boldly. “She is her father’s heiress, like her sister Lady Duchess of Clarence. She is pardoned and should receive her share of inheritance.”

“That will never happen!” George snapped. Isabel quietly stood beside him.

“Sire, you gave me your word that I can marry Lady Anne, and however it is done, you will recognize this marriage as legitimate and our children will receive the titles and wealth befitting a child of a royal duke. Anne is carrying my child, a child of York line.”

“And you have promised me, Sire, that I will have the entire Beauchamp estate,” George added.

Rubbing his chin, King Edward thought for a moment.

“You can have the position of Constable of England,” Richard said, disrupted the intense silence. Anne gasped at his words.

“What?” George acted almost as if he didn’t hear him correctly.

“I will forfeit my position as Constable of England,” Richard repeated himself. “All I ask for is Anne to receive her share of inheritance and Middleham.”

“Clarence?” King Edward looked at George.

“No!” George was refused to back down.

Before Richard could say something, Anne grabbed his wrist and held to her belly with her hand.

“Anne,” Richard turned his attention to her. “What is it?”

 _The baby moved._ Anne scribed in his hand. _He is kicking me hard._

“Dickon?” King Edward called. “What is it?”

“Your nephew is petitioning for himself,” Richard replied with a straight face. “For what is rightfully his.”

King Edward burst out laughing. After a long while, he stopped laughing. “All right, let’s settle this. Gloucester, do you mean it when you say that you are willing to forfeit your position as Constable of England?”

“Yes, Sire.”

“And Clarence?”

George said nothing.

“So it’s settled then. Gloucester will receive the other half of Beauchamp fortune, including the properties in Middleham. And Clarence, you will have the position as Constable of England and the title Earl of Warwick. Take these and add that to your half of Beauchamp estate.”

George remained silent until a long moment later, he nodded.

“It’s settled then!” King Edward clapped his hand. “Go home with your family, Dickon.”


	27. Chapter 27

_London_

Anne would’ve gone back to Middleham at once. She wanted nothing more than leave London and never come back again.

Home to Middleham…

When did she leave Middleham?

Oh yes, she left home almost two years ago to attend Isabel’s confinement. On her way back, she was stopped by Lady Stafford and her husband, who took her to London to be Prince Edouard’s bride. Yesterday, Richard told her that Prince Edouard was buried in a cathedral in Tewkesbury and that Lady Stafford remarried for the third time. She was Lady Stanley now and serving the Queen as her lady-in-waiting. King Louis of France, at the mean time, was negotiating with King Edward on Margaret of Anjou’s ransom. If that worked out, then Margaret of Anjou would return to France.

The old ghosts were buried and Anne was ready for her new beginning.

Placing her hand on her bump, she enjoyed her baby’s kicking. Her child had been active and nothing made her happier when he moved.

He or she.

Richard had referred to their child as “their boy”. Anne was a little worried if he’d be disappointed if the child turned out to be a girl.

But if so, she was confident that she will give Richard a son eventually.

Richard was concerned about Anne traveling in her condition, but she made it clear that under no circumstances that she will have this child in London. Thus, they needed to be on the road soon so that Anne would enter her confinement after they reached Middleham.

“My lady, Duchess of Clarence,” a servant informed her.

It was Isabel.

“Anne…” Isabel greeted uneasily. “I know that you are leaving soon, so I’ve come to see you…to say goodbye at the least.”

Anne nodded and Isabel approached closer.

“You’re going home,” Isabel continued. “With Richard…and you are having his child. That is good, Anne. You are fortunate to have Richard. You married a man who loves you.”

Her eyes were sad, and Anne knew why. George had not treated her well.

“I’m with child too,” Isabel added. “This time, I hope, things will turn out right. I will give him a son, and he will love me.”

Anne could only nod. It never came to her that George could ever care of Isabel genuinely.

“Lady Mother wrote to me,” Isabel said, taking out a folded letter. “She is still at Beaulieu, asking for my help. I showed the letter to George, and he wrote back to her, telling her that she’s legally dead without an acre of land.”

Hearing that, Anne fetched a parchment and a pen.

_Bella, do not grieve. Lady Mother will be all right. Richard is willing to take her in._

“Truly?” Isabel muttered, but without a doubt.

 _Will you visit us?_ Anne asked.

“Of course I’ll come!” Isabel was touched. The two sisters embraced and wept together.

***

_Middleham_

Slowly, Anne climbed out of the litter. Holding Richard’s hand and rubbing her big belly, she choked on tears at the sight of her home, Middleham Castle. The forests, the hill, the sky—it remained the same. She sauntered towards the castle. It wasn’t empty; and she wasn’t alone either. The old servants of the Neville family were still there; they were more than happy to see Anne coming home as their new mistress.

The castle was there; the horses were still in the barn; everything remained untouched.

But her family wasn’t there.

Her father was now dead. Her mother was at Beaulieu; she would return to Middleham sooner or later, but as a nobody. The Countess would stay at Middleham Castle as Richard and Anne’s guest.

It was like a cruel joke.

And yet, it is what it is.

The Countess was rather fortunate that she was alive and her two daughters were royal duchesses. Isabel may not be happy with George, but she was expecting again. Perhaps a son could make their marriage happier.

With Richard by her side, Anne walked into the castle. She was almost eight month into her pregnancy. Together, the two of them—or rather three of them—entered the Great Hall. Old memories came to her.

She looked around and then saw her father’s empty chair. Alas, Richard would sit in it now. After him, it would be her son—

Suddenly, Anne’s thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain. Holding her belly, she tried to catch her breath.

“Anne, what is it?” Richard asked.

Before Anne could respond, another wave of pain racked her. Immediately, Richard ordered the servants to bring a chair for Anne to sit.

“Is it coming, my love?”

Anne did not know the answer to that, until a pool of water was at her feet.

After her nanny Alys saw it, she sprinted to fetch the midwives. Before coming back, Anne’s confinement was already prepared; two midwives were at the Middleham Castle. Ideally, they would’ve escorted her to the lying-in chamber for the birth. However, the pain was too much for Anne to move. And so, the midwives asked for the birthing chair to be brought to the Great Hall. All servants were ordered out and Alys unlaced Anne’s dress.

By protocol, childbirth was women’s business, not a man’s.

But Richard insisted by staying by Anne’s side. He held her hand as Anne endured the pain of labor. Unlike other women, Anne could not cry out; but it was all over her face—tears, sweats, and distorted features. To comfort her, Richard intertwined his fingers with hers, telling her to squeeze his hand so that he can share her pain. Then, his whispered the words of courage and prayers in her ear.

Childbirth was indeed women’s battlefield.

Richard watched as the midwives placed a piece of wood into Anne’s mouth so that she wouldn’t bite her tongue. They rolled up her shift and wiped her thighs.

One bloody cloth after another.

Finally, after hours of labor, it was done.

“A son, Your Grace,” the midwives informed them as they cut the baby’s umbilical cord.

Anne’s eyes never left her baby. Reaching out her hand, she looked desperate as if the midwives were taking her child away from her. To her relief, they placed the baby into a bundle and then into her arms. Facing Richard, Anne’s lips quivered.

“Ri…Ri…Richard…” A voice came out, though weak, thin, and broken.

“Anne?” Hearing her calling his name, Richard overcame with emotions. “What is it, sweetheart?”

“Ri…Richard…we…we…we…we h…have…a…s…son…” Anne painstakingly spoke out the syllable little by little. Her voice was so thin that Richard had to approach very close to hear her. Patiently, Richard listened to every sound coming out of her and brushed away her hair.

“Ri…Rich…ard…my…hu…husband…”

Disregarded her sweats and bloodied shift, Richard pulled her into his arms along with their son. He covered her with kisses and held her dearly.

“Our son, Anne, well done,” he murmured against her hair. “We shall call him Edward, after my brother the King. My brother, he is strong and born lucky. May our son be as healthy and fortunate—no plague, no war, and no exile.”

***

_Three months later…_

A litter stopped at the courtyard of Middleham Castle. The Countess stepped out and let out a heavy sigh. The imprisonment and escape had aged her dearly. Looking at the castle, the Countess was incredibly sad.

No, she was no longer a Countess.

She was a nobody.

According to the law, she was dead. But here she was, alive and lost.

She was like a sad ghost with nowhere to go.

Not too long ago, it was here her late husband Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, planned to have one of their daughters sit on the English throne. Yet, now, she was only grateful that neither went to the block. Richard, the current master of the castle and her son-in-law, wrote to her to inform her of the birth of their son and how he was inviting her back to Middleham. The Countess ignored his invite at first, either due to pride or sadness. Eventually, she accepted it.

Now she was home again.

The servants still treated her like they did in the past. To her surprise, it was Richard who received her; Anne was nowhere in sight.

“So you are the master of this castle now, taking my husband’s place,” the Countess mumbled.

“I am the master of this castle, but George has your late husband’s title and position,” Richard corrected her. “This castle could’ve been George’s, but I bargained for it.”

“Why is that?”

“Because of Anne,” he replied softly.

Behind him, Anne came with her son in her arms. “Lady Mother,” she greeted.

“You have a son, Anne,” the Countess remarked. “He looks small.”

“He is,” Anne nodded. “He came early, but he will grow.”

After a long silence, the Countess reached out her arms. “I like to hold my grandson and give him my blessing.”

Anne released a gentle smile and handed her son to the Countess. Watching her mother holding her infant son, and her husband standing beside her with his arm around her waist, Anne finally felt at home.

“Welcome home, Lady Mother, welcome home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow...finally it's done. Can you imagine it took me a whole day to post this complete story? I started in the morning, then I have to go to spa for my appointment at noon. I posted two more chapters and then got too tired and fall asleep. When I woke up it was like...10 PM at night! Internet had not been in my favor either.
> 
> So there goes my career hope as an editor! Just kidding...
> 
> Anyway, I thank you all who continued and read this fic till the end. 
> 
> And I like to thank tant-le-desiree for claiming my story as an artist.
> 
> I made a list of character profiles on Tumblr: http://darkphoenixgoddess10.tumblr.com/post/87245666633/character-profiles-of-my-upcoming-twq-big-bang
> 
> And I like to thank medival_scribe to initiated this TWQ Big Bang.
> 
> Comments please!

**Author's Note:**

> Comment please!


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